FAQs About Hospice and Palliative Care

Hospice care is a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and spiritual support for patients with limited life expectancies. The goal of the care is to help patients remain as peaceful and comfortable as possible through to the very end.

Care is provided for anyone who has a life expectancy of 6 months or less due to serious and chronic illnesses. Such illnesses include, but are not limited to, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), kidney failure, Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and other conditions related to aging and end of life. Support is provided to the patient’s loved ones as well.

The conditions qualified for Hospice/Comfort Care are:

HIV/AIDS
Viral load > 100,000 and:

• CNS Lymphoma, Untreated or Refractory wasting (loss of > 33% lean body mass), (MAC) Bacteremia or
• Progressive Multifocal Encephalopathy or
• Multiform Concomitant Infection unresponsive to therapy or
• Systemic Lymphoma, Visceral KS, Renal failure no HD, Refractory Toxoplasmosis, Recurrent Infections
• Needs extensive assistance for ADL’s

Renal Failure

• Patient will not undergo dialysis or renal transplant
• Creatinine clearance is < 10 cc/min (<15 for diabetics)
• Serum creatinine level is abnormal
  • Uremia
  • Oliguria (urine output < 400 cc in 24 hours)
  • Intractable hyperkalemia (> 7.0)
  • Hepatorenal syndrome

Stroke

• Poor functional status: mainly in bed, unable to do most activity
• Functional insufficiency secondary to stroke up to functional quadriplegia
• Incontinence B&B
• Abnormal brain stem responds to encephalopathy, dysphagia, and dysphasia
• Aspiration pneumonia

Cardiovascular Disease

• CHF with inability to carry out minimal physical activity without dyspnea or angina, despite adequate treatment
• Not a candidate or refusing surgical procedures
• Treatment-resistant symptomatic dysrhythmias, h/o cardiac-related syncope
• Concomitant HIV disease
• CVA cardiac embolism

Worsening of Symptoms manifested by:

• Dyspnea with increasing respiratory rate
• Intractable cough
• Lethargy, somnolence
• Vomiting, poorly responsive to treatment
• Intractable diarrhea
• Pain poorly responsive to treatment requiring frequent increases in medications

Palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach to specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress, and mental stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis.

We provide compassionate Palliative Care for patients who are experiencing chronic pain, physical stresses, and emotional trauma over their health situation. We hope that with our services we can ease their burdens and elevate their comfort level whether they choose to receive care at home, in a facility, or in a hospice care home

Our care and services are available to anyone who needs them, regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay.