Hospice Care

What is hospice care?

Hospice offers compassionate care and comfort to people at the end of life, along with education and support to family members. Everyone's concerns are unique, and care may address nursing, emotional health, or spiritual needs. It may also include visits, music, massage, listening, and providing resources.

Hospice care brings hope to help people live life as fully as possible, offers dignity when there is not a cure, and surrounds families with love at one of life's most challenging times.

Where is Rice Hospice?

Hospice care is a philosophy of care, not a place. Most hospice patients receive care in the residence of their choice - home, assisted living, adult foster residence, or nursing home.

What services are available to Rice Hospice patients and families?

Rice Hospice services and programs can meet a variety of needs that include, but are not limited to:

• skilled nursing care
• pain relief and symptom management
• coordination of medical equipment and supplies
• psycho-social care
• coordination of resources, educational and financial concerns
• spiritual support
• assistance with daily living care, such as dressing, bathing, eating
• respite care
• complementary therapies and special programs
• companionship
• grief support

Who can be in hospice?

Anyone of any age whose life is limited - by any illness - can receive hospice care. Hospice is for patients and families who choose to focus on comfort care, not curative care.

When is it time for hospice?

When medical treatments are no longer effective, care becomes focused on comfort and symptom relief. Generally, someone enters hospice when the physician believes life expectancy to be six months or less.
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Who pays for hospice?

Many insurance policies provide basic hospice benefits such as nursing, social worker and hospice aide care. > more