WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Who is Eligible?

At Hospice Compassus, our experienced staff is available to consult with patients and families and help them make decisions about hospice care.

If your physician has diagnosed that your prognosis has a life expectancy of six months or less (if your terminal illness runs its normal course), chances are you are already eligible for hospice. But there are many things to consider.

The transition to hospice often occurs when the decision is made to stop curative and aggressive medical treatment and to focus on comfort care, which is known as palliative care. Clinically, palliative care focuses on managing pain and symptoms of illness, rather than attempting to cure it.

It is important for patients and families to know that anyone can make a referral to hospice care. Experts say that patients who receive care for 30-60 days benefit substantially over those who enter hospice in their final days, often following a crisis situation. A matter of fact, many families who have experienced hospice care often regret that they did not learn about hospice sooner for their loved one.

Despite the fact that facing end-of-life issues is often difficult to approach, open communication is key. That’s why we encourage patients and families to initiate conversations about hospice care with each other and particularly with their family physician.

Hospice care does not close the door to life; it opens the door to living a quality life with a life-threatening illness.