Hospice
Experience
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| The Medicare Hospice benefit is
a special way of caring for people who have a terminal illness.
Let me make the details less confusing for you. I will tell
you how hospice cared for my husband, and taught & supported
me while I was his caregiver. |
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When
our family needed hospice, the Medicare Benefit paid for:
* doctor services
*
nursing care
* medical equipment
* medical supplies
*
drugs related to the terminal illness (for comfort)
* home health aides |
* physical and occupational
therapy
* speech therapy
*
dietary counseling
* social work
services
* grief and loss counseling
* short-term inpatient care
*
short-term respite care |
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The nurse was so patient explaining
the medications until I understood completely. And Medicare
paid for everything that was used for pain and symptom control.
We saved hundreds of dollars a month! |
| The physical therapist worked with
me until I was confident with the equipment I needed to use
as a caregiver. She also taught me safe transfer techniques
to protect my back. |
|
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Trained hospice volunteers offered to take
over the caregiving duties so I could have a break now and
then. Being able to attend church was a huge comfort to
me. |
When someone you love has a
terminal illness, it’s stressful. The social worker
offered counseling to help me cope in healthy ways. She
also connected me to all the community resources I needed. |
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When I needed a longer break, my loved one was
able to be cared for in a Medicare-approved facility, such
as a nursing home, for five days.
When they returned home again, I was a refreshed caregiver. |
When my caregiving journey came to an end,
I was offered continued support throughout the first year
of bereavement. The long and winding road of grief can be
lonely, but I made new friends at the hospice support group
meetings. |
 |
 |
After the sessions ended, we decided
to stay in touch with each other as a social circle. It’s
good to have people who understand what you’re going
through. |
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The goal of hospice is to provide care for
people who are terminally ill, to manage their pain and
other symptoms, and to support the caregiver and family.
Curing the illness is not a goal of hospice. |
You are entitled
to the Medicare Hospice Benefit if you meet all the following
conditions:
* You are eligible for Medicare Part A (hospital
insurance)
* Your doctor and the hospice medical director certify that
you have a terminal illness
* You sign a statement saying you choose hospice care
* You receive care from a Medicare-approved hospice program
The hospice benefit allows you and your family
to stay together in the comfort of your home. However, if
the illness requires care in an inpatient hospice facility,
hospital, or nursing home, the hospice medical team can make
those arrangements.
What the Medicare
Hospice Benefit will not pay for:
- Treatment intended to cure the illness (if someone decides
to seek curative treatment, they can stop receiving hospice
care and go back to the Medicare coverage they had before)
- Prescription drugs aimed at curing the illness
- Care from any provider not arranged by the hospice team
- Room and board in a nursing home or hospice residential
facility (unless the team arranges for a short-term respite
stay)
- Emergency room visits (unless it’s arranged by
the hospice team)
- Care in an inpatient facility (unless it’s arranged
by the hospice team)
- Ambulance transportation (unless it’s arranged
by the hospice team).
Where can I learn
more?
- Dial 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
- TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048
- or visit www.medicare.gov
on the web (select “Search Tools” at the top
of the page)
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