Frequently Asked Questions
What is hospice care?
Hospice care is designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families and caregivers when a life-limiting illness is no longer responding to curative treatments. Hospice care shifts the focus to comfort rather than recovery.
This unique form of care strives to provide a person living with a chronic, life-limiting illness or disease, with the quality of life they and their family and loved ones hoped for. It addresses physical well-being as well as the psychological, social and spiritual needs of the patient and their family or caregivers.
When medical treatment cannot provide a cure, hospice is a realistic and positive choice because it can support both the patient and family for weeks and months, not just the final days of life. Many patients and their families wish they had chosen hospice sooner, knowing now the benefits from the specialized services offered.
What can we expect if choosing hospice care?
Those who approach the end of life are often less afraid of death than they are of what may come during the dying process. Hospice care addresses this issue by offering a personalized plan of care based on each individual’s status and needs.
This specialized treatment focuses on pain and symptom management and provides critical help and support to both the patient and family to help the patient maintain independence, take control of their illness or disease, complete important tasks, organize personal affairs, complete spiritual services and have a comfortable, dignified and peaceful passing.
In addition to providing care directly, hospice team members serve as teachers, enabling the family or caregivers to support their loved one at home, assisted living or in a skilled nursing facility.
Who is eligible for hospice care?
Hospice serves patients with a terminal illness resulting in a life expectancy of six months or less, as determined by the patient's physician. Hospice care is provided regardless of diagnosis, age, gender, nationality, race, creed, sexual orientation, disability or ability to pay. The patient makes the decision to choose hospice in partnership with his or her family physician and the hospice team, after a thorough review of all the care options.
The hospice care team continues to evaluate eligibility for ongoing hospice care, and as long as the person meets the guidelines, hospice can continue to provide services. Since hospice is the choice of a patient, it can be discontinued by the patient at any time, for any reason.
Where does hospice care happen?
Hospice care can be provided at home or in a comfortable home-like environment such as a skilled nursing, assisted or independent living facility. Additionally, patients of the VNA of Cape Cod Hospice & Palliative Care have the ability to receive care at McCarthy Care Center for pain and medication management that may be challenging at home. Being in a familiar environment can bring comfort and peace in a time that is often fraught with fear and sorrow. In addition, the compassion, support and understanding of the hospice team can give families the foundation they need to withstand the emotional and physical hardships they are enduring.
What are the benefits of using hospice care?
Patients and families who elect to invoke the hospice care benefit receive:
- Coordination between a patient’s primary care provider and the hospice medical director who oversees the plan of care
- Nurses and support staff available around the clock, every day of the year
- Social workers and spiritual care coordinators to care for the emotional and spiritual needs of both patient and family
- Medications, medical supplies and equipment related to a patient’s diagnosis
- Complementary services such as aromatherapy and music therapy
- Ongoing grief counseling and bereavement support following the loss of a loved one
How is hospice paid for?
Medicare pays for the full cost of hospice care for those who qualify. Medicaid and many private insurance plans will also cover hospice care; however, benefits vary per policy and verification of benefits is required. People will be granted hospice care regardless of their ability to pay.
Palliative Care
What is palliative care?
Palliative care improves the quality of life for those patients with serious illness for whom the end of life is not imminent. Unlike hospice, palliative care provides patients with the ability to continue to pursue curative treatment while also receiving comfort care. Palliative care focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of serious illness.
How does palliative care differ from VNA of Cape Cod Home Health care?
Our palliative care bridge program is a collaborative effort between the VNA’s Hospice and Home Care division. We provide symptom management, education, and support during a period when a patient with a serious illness may still be pursuing active treatment or declines to elect the hospice benefit.
What are the benefits of using palliative care?
Studies have shown that palliative care can have many benefits for both patients and their families. These studies show that those enrolled in palliative care have fewer symptoms, greater emotional support, and increased patient and family satisfaction.
Will insurance cover palliative care?
Most private insurance plans at least partially cover palliative care services. Medicare and Medicaid also typically cover most of these services. Veterans may also be eligible for palliative care through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Provider Comparison Questions
Why Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Cape Cod Hospice & Palliative Care?
Rated the top hospice service on Cape Cod and earning 100-percent ratings from the Strategic Healthcare Programs’ analysis of 6,000 post-acute services nationwide, The VNA of Cape Cod Hospice provides more services, more resources and the reassuring relationships you’ve come to expect from the Cape’s largest health provider. As the region's local choice, our teams are well-acquainted with nearby medical facilities, community resources and support networks.
Additional benefits include:
- A seamless transition: a continuation of the high-quality care you already receive through Cape Cod Healthcare
- Keeping your primary care physician as part of a chain of support which also includes nurses, social workers, therapists, counselors and home health aides
- More staff, more support than any other hospice on Cape Cod for you and your family
- The full resources of Cape Cod Healthcare: with the assistance of Cape Cod Healthcare’s extensive resources, including McCarthy Care Center for short-term inpatient hospice care, we will help you remain comfortable in your chosen setting.
- Coordinated care, with case managers who oversee your individualized care plan
What complementary services are available?
VNA of Cape Cod Hospice & Palliative Care offers unique complementary services to help ease various physical and emotional concerns during care. These include music therapy, pet therapy, Reiki and a “Telling Our Stories” program in which our patients record their life story for future generations to treasure.
What bereavement services are available?
Our hospice offers a variety of free, supportive and educational services for adults and children coping with the loss of a loved one. These services are open to anyone in the community and include individual or family consultations, telephone support, support groups across the Cape Cod region, workshops and information or referrals to other resources as needed.
