Don’t give up. Give hope.

When Chosen Early, Hospice & Palliative Care Give Hope & Quality of Life

Hospice and palliative care are not about giving up. Each is about using specialized medical care and treatments to enhance quality of life and help you meet your goals. Both give patients hope that how they feel each day matters and that they can still do things that matter to them. Both are also focused on giving caregivers what they need to make care at home manageable.

Palliative care is for those who may still be undergoing curative treatments. Hospice care is for those not currently receiving curative treatments and who want to receive most of their care at home with specialized symptom management and increased quality of life.

Learn more below, or contact us by phone or email to ask a question about our programs. We can listen, help you determine if hospice or palliative may be helpful, and guide you to other resources as needed.

How Hospice & Palliative Care Enhance Quality of Life

  • Treatments and Interventions to Manage Pain and Symptoms
  • Maximizing Time Spent at Home (versus hospital or other facilities)
  • Personalized Care Plan Based on Medical, Physical, Social, & Spiritual Needs
  • Support and Education for Caregivers
  • Coordination of Care with Primary Physician and Specialists
  • Regular Home Care Visits by Your Team

Studies Show Positive Outcomes with Hospice & Palliative Care

  • Prolonged Survival – Journal of Pain & Symptom Management, 2007 and New England Journal of Medicine, 2010
  • Higher Quality of Life as Reported by Patients – New England Journal of Medicine, 2010
  • Far Less Likely to be Hospitalized – Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2012
  • Better Symptom Management – New England Journal of Medicine, 2010
  • Fewer Instances of Severe Depression for Surviving Spouses – JAMA, 2015

How Do I Know if Hospice or Palliative Care Is Right for My Situation?

While it takes a careful review of a patient’s medical records to know for sure, there are some common signs. One or more of these can be an indicator that home care with either hospice or palliative can be helpful.

  • Medical care is increasingly complex.
  • May have one disease that’s harder to manage, one primary disease with underlying conditions, or many conditions that, together, have led to declining health over time.
  • May have been hospitalized more than once in the past year.
  • Have used or been tempted to use the emergency room, especially when issues arise after the doctor’s office is closed.
  • Increasingly difficult to get to appointments with physicians, and it takes time to recover from the effort of going.
  • Curative or aggressive treatments are less helpful than before or may have been discontinued.
  • Strong desire to avoid hospitalization and remain at home.
  • Strong desire to feel as well as possible, to be able to make the most of each day, or to have more good days than bad days.
  • Caregiving is getting more difficult to handle alone or is taking a bigger toll.
  • Can benefit from connection to resources and support for all involved.
  • Undergoing curative treatments, but wants to maintain good quality of life with symptom management throughout those treatments (palliative only).
  • Not undergoing curative or aggressive treatments, but hopes for months of living with quality of life and specialized symptom management at home.

What Happens if I Want to Try Hospice or Palliative Care?

If you want to try either program, just reach out to us. We’ll work with you to determine eligibility and goals of care. If one of our programs is a good fit, you can try it for a while to make sure it meets your needs. If you choose our care, this is what you can expect:

  • An Admissions Nurse will schedule a home visit to conduct the admission.
  • A specialized care team will be assigned to you, and they will begin routine visits, based on your needs, wishes, and care needed.
  • The team cares for you in conjunction with your primary care physician and/or specialists. Your medical orders come from the physician you’ve chosen to serve as your attending (often your primary provider or specialist, a Hospice Care Plus medical director, or a combination).
  • For hospice care, the routine visits are usually weekly or more as needed. For palliative care, they are typically monthly with follow-up visits as needed.
  • If you choose hospice care, your team will include nurses along with a nursing assistant, social worker, and a chaplain for spiritual care and support. Although each team member contributes to quality of life, you may choose which team members visit. You can change your choice at any time. (Nursing visits are required.)
  • Hospice offers 24/7 nurse availability through our on-call service for after-hours and weekends.
  • Palliative care visits with a nurse and social work team to support pain & symptom management and to help coordinate care.

I’d like to know more.

We speak with families frequently about their situation. Contact us anytime. We’re happy to take all the time you need to listen, offer guidance, and help you access programs that can help.

If you’d like to read more information, we recommend these links:

About Hospice Care Plus

  • We are an independent, non-profit organization providing hospice, palliative, and grief & loss care with over 40 years of caring for our community.
  • As a non-profit, our mission is to provide care regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
  • Our Palliative Care program and Grief & Loss Support Services are provided at no cost, thanks to the support of our donors.
  • Our hospice programs are fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most commercial insurance companies. You are not expected to pay co-pays or deductibles.
  • We are accredited by the Joint Commission and certified by Medicare and Medicaid.
  • In addition to our Home Palliative Care and Home Hospice programs, we own and operate the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond. The Center provides care for hospice patients who need inpatient care to manage a symptom or respite care.
  • We are a proud recipient of the national Hospice Honors and Hospice Honors Elite awards.