Who Qualifies for Hospice?

Hospice care is for people with a terminal illness who want comfort care rather than curative treatment or if the patient no longer benefits from curative care. It is time to consider hospice care when one or more of these circumstances apply:

• Loss of function and physical decline

• Increase in hospitalizations

• Dependence on others to assist with most activities of daily living, such as toileting, feeding and dressing.

• Increase in emergency room visits for the same medical reason

• Continuing weight loss, more than 10% of previous body weight

• Multiple diseases

Each disease has its own Medicare criteria for hospice eligibility, but there must be a life-limiting illness with a prognosis of six months or less from a physician and all parties need to agree that hospice care is appropriate.