When is it time for hospice?
“The healing begins for the person and family when hospice comes in. Having skilled professionals attending to mom’s every need was humbling. But they were so good at it, they allowed us to relax and just be a family again, which is what we needed most.” – Son of a former Alive patient
Your patients may be eligible for hospice sooner than you think.
Read our Hospice Eligibility Guide
One of the most common things we hear from patients with serious illnesses and their families is that they wish they had known hospice care was available sooner.
Hospice care is *not* just for the final days and weeks of life. These benefits are available as soon as a patient has a life expectancy of six months or less. The sooner care begins, the sooner families can have the support they need.
It can help prevent repeated hospitalizations and reduce stress on loved ones and caregivers, so they can make the most of their remaining time together.
Contact us to find out when we can help your patients with serious illnesses. It may be sooner than you think.
Call 615-250-1348
Do you know how soon your patients are eligible?
Read our Hospice Eligibility Guide
Issues that indicate it is time to start talking about hospice include:
- Frequent hospitalizations or trips to the ER
- Frequent or reoccurring infections
- Reduced desire to eat, leading to significant weight loss and changes in body composition
- Rapid decline in health over past six months, even with aggressive medical treatments
- Uncontrolled pain, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting
- Decreasing alertness, withdrawal, increased sleeping or mental confusion
- Inability to perform tasks of daily living, such as eating, walking, using the bathroom, personal cleaning or getting dressed
- Desire to focus on comfort and quality of life rather than on treatment
- Patients who score 50% or lower on the palliative performance scale are likely to benefit.
Learn more about when hospice can help with specific conditions.
