A key objective in hospice care is to support the highest possible quality of life for a dying individual. To do this hospice care focuses on palliative care - care that comforts the individual, such as controlling pain - instead of providing care that attempts to cure or halt the medical condition that is leading to death.

Hospice care is tailored to each individual's needs and circumstances, and is provided by a team of professionals including doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains. Hospice care may be provided at a person's residence, even if it is a nursing home, or in a separate inpatient facility. Some hospices provide both home care and inpatient care.

A nonprofit organization or a for-profit business may deliver hospice care. Some hospices specialize in treating individuals with specific diseases, such as AIDS, or special age groups. such as children.

Medicare, the federal health benefit program for the aged and disabled, will cover hospice care for the last six months of a Medicare recipient's life. Most hospices accept private insurance, and many also will accept Medicaid and assist families with financial needs.

The decision to begin hospice may be a difficult one. Many families and doctors hesitate to contact hospice because they fear "giving up" too soon on finding a cure or experiencing a recovery that would delay death. Choosing hospice care also may intensify feelings of grief and bereavement, both in the person who is dying and in others.

Hospice professionals and advocates recommend an earlier, rather than later, approach to hospice care so that individuals can fully benefit from the range of services, comfort and assistance, including bereavement support, that hospice can provide to them and their family members.

Non-Profit Hospice Services
Service areas may be limited.

For Other Locations, Contact:

Texas Non-Profit Hospice Alliance: 1-800-276-1387

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization: 1-800-658-8898

Texas & New Mexico Hospice Organization: 512-454-1247 or 1-800-580-9270

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