Myths About Hospice Care
As life ends, it also begins. We accept dying as a natural part of the circle of life. We acknowledge that it creates a new beginning for family and friends. So when the search for a cure turns to the need for comfort care, Genesis Hospice can help by providing medical care, comfort, dignity and peace of mind for people with life-limiting illness. By providing counseling, emotional and spiritual support to family members, Hospice will help make the most of life during and beyond a loved one’s final days.
Coping with a terminal illness is a difficult experience both for the dying person and for his or her loved ones. When facing tough decisions on end-of-life care, it is critical to have the right information at the right time: to help your patients and their caregivers understand more about hospice care and the benefits for which they are eligible.
Donald Zaentz, M.D., who is one of the medical directors of Genesis Hospice, describes hospice to his patients in this way: "Life will eventually end for all of us. When death occurs, we should be surrounded by people who care about us, be comfortable and free of pain, and be maintaining a sense of worth and dignity.When used appropriately, hospice allows us to achieve these goals.”
The philosophy of Hospice holds that end-of-life care should emphasize quality of life. Hospice is about the living that goes on during the time between the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness and death. The goal is to treat the whole person, not the disease. It involves a team-oriented approach that extends to family and caregivers, as well as the patient.The hospice team consists of: patient and family; personal physician; hospice medical director; registered nurses; home health aides; social workers; clergy; volunteer coordinator; bereavement coordinator and volunteers.
Genesis Hospice is working to overcome these myths about hospice:
Myth #1
Hospice care is only for cancer or AIDS patients.
Hospice cares for patients with any life-limiting diagnosis such as: cancer, final-stage heart and lung diseases, stroke, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, AIDS, Lou Gehrig’s Disease, just to name a few.
Myth #2
Hospice care is provided only inside a special facility.
Hospice care can be provided in a variety of places: in a patient’s home; in a hospital; in a long-term care facility; or in other residential settings. Wherever the location, patients and families are assured of medical care and emotional and spiritual support.
Myth #3
Hospice care is only for the wealthy.
Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance policies cover Hospice care. For Medicare and Medicaid patients, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and equipment related to the terminal illness are provided at no additional cost.
For uninsured patients, hospice offers a sliding-fee scale, based on the family’s ability to pay. In addition, hospice is provided thousands of dollars each year in charitable assistance.
Myth #4
Medicare beneficiaries forfeit their Medicare coverage if they choose Hospice care.
Beneficiaries retain full Medicare coverage for any health-care needs not related to the terminal diagnosis, even if they elect hospice care. However, they must continue to pay the applicable deductible and coinsurance amounts under the original Medicare plan.
Myth #5
If patients opt out of Hospice they can never have the hospice benefit again.
Hospice patients can stop receiving hospice care at any time, for any reason. If someone chooses to stop hospice care, he or she will automatically go back to receiving all of the original Medicare benefits. At any time a patient can return to Hospice care as long as the eligibility requirements are met.
For more information, call Genesis Hospice, affiliated with Genesis Health System, in the Quad Cities at 563-421-5400 and in Clinton at 563-242-7165.
