When you hear that someone is in hospice, you probably assume that person is very near the end of life. While that’s true in some cases, hospice doesn’t have a definitive time imit.
Once someone begins receiving hospice care, that care can continue as long as it’s needed, even if the person surpasses life expectancy. Keep reading to learn more.
How hospice works
Hospice is a type of medical care that’s specifically designed for those who are at the end of life. When a person enrolls in hospice, he or she is no longer receiving active, curative treatment for a medical condition and has an anticipated life expectancy of six months or less.
While a hospice patient no longer receives treatment with the sole purpose of curing a disease, other types of care are provided. Hospice providers work to meet a full spectrum of patient needs, helping to manage symptoms and maintain quality of life.
In addition to providing care for a patient’s medical and physical needs, hospice also supports emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual aspects of care.
How hospice evolves as patient needs change
While you might logically think that someone entering hospice is in extremely poor health, that isn’t always the case. There are many reasons for beginning hospice care, and patients who choose hospice may still be feeling relatively well.
Hospice is recommended when all options for curative treatment have failed or a patient chooses to forgo additional curative treatment. In some cases, patients may already be experiencing diminished health, but in others, they may have symptoms and health issues that are easily navigated with basic hospice care.
Because of that reality, there are four different levels of hospice care. These hospice levels aren’t “levels” in the traditional sense—they aren’t tiers that patients progress through as their health worsens. Instead, they’re distinct types of care, and patients can receive different levels of care at different times.
Routine home care
Routine home care is the most common type of hospice care. This type of care is provided wherever home is for the patient, including in a house, an assisted living facility, or a skilled nursing facility.
Patients who are receiving routine home care have symptoms that are well-controlled by medications and other therapies. These patients receive visits from a medical provider, nursing care, and other types of support.
Continuous home care
When a hospice patient is experiencing a flare-up of symptoms or in less stable health, continuous home care may be the solution. As with routine home care, this type of care is also provided in a home environment.
The difference between routine home care and continuous home care comes in the word “continuous.” This level of hospice care is provided for a longer consecutive period of time, bringing a hospice nurse into the home for at least eight hours in a 24-hour period.
General inpatient care
When more intensive care is needed than can be provided in a home setting, general inpatient care is offered. This type of hospice care is provided in an inpatient setting, such as a freestanding hospice facility or hospital.
While a hospice patient receives general inpatient care, a hospice nurse can provide around-the-clock care to help ease symptoms.
Respite care
The final level of care, respite care, is designed to meet the needs of family members and other caregivers. Caregiving can be stressful and overwhelming at times, especially if there’s a sole caregiver providing the majority of care.
Respite care involves a short stay of up to five days in a setting outside the home, such as a hospice facility or hospital. During that time, hospice providers take care of the patient’s needs so that a caregiver can rest and recuperate.
The most important thing to note about the different levels of hospice care is that a patient can move from one to another and back again as needed. If a patient needs general inpatient care for a few days to get a good handle on a flare-up of symptoms, for example, he or she can then move back to routine home care when symptoms are stable.
The length of hospice? However long it’s needed
Understanding how hospice works can also help you understand how long it can be provided. Put simply, it can be provided for the length of time it’s needed.
While a patient begins hospice care when his or her life expectancy is six months or less, many patients surpass their life expectancy. After all, while life expectancy is an educated guess at how long someone has to live, it’s still a guess.
Hospice care continues as long as the patient needs it. While many hospice patients pass away within weeks of beginning hospice care, a 2014 study found that up to 15 percent of patients survive for six months or longer.
Those patients might be the minority, but different diseases—and even the same diseases—progress differently in each person. Sometimes health declines more slowly than anticipated.
As long as a patient’s medical providers continue to certify that the person is in the final stages of life, Medicare and other insurance plans will continue to cover hospice services. Patients who experience a health revitalization can also exit hospice care and re-enter it when life expectancy is again less than six months.
Learn more
Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center partners with you and your family to provide excellent care and enhance your quality of life. Call 770-219-8888 or visit our website for more information about how we can help.