Myth #2

Hospice is a place.

Hospice care takes place wherever the need exists, be it a person’s home, a long-term care facility, a hospital or an inpatient hospice unit.

Myth #3

Hospice is only for people with cancer.

Increasingly, hospices are serving patients and their families who are coping with the end stages of diseases such as lung and heart disease, Alzheimer’s, liver disease, renal failure, neuromuscular diseases, ALS, and AIDS.

Myth #4

Hospice is only for the person who is dying.

In hospice, the patient and family are considered the unit of care. As a family-centered concept of care, hospice focuses as much on the grieving family as on the patient. Most hospices make their grief services available to the community at large, serving schools, churches and the workplace. Moreover, grief support is available to the family for 13 months after a person has passed.

Myth #5

The doctor decides which hospice a person uses.

Your doctor may recommend a hospice, but patients and families are free to choose their own hospice agency.

Myth #6

Hospice is only for old people.

Hospice serves patients of all ages.

Myth #7

Hospice services can only be provided when there are family members available to provide care.

Hospice recognizes that seriously ill people may live alone or with family members who are unable to provide care. Hospice can help coordinate community resources to make home care possible. Hospice may also be able to help find an alternative location where the patient can safely receive care.

Myth #8

Hospice is for people who don’t need a high level of care.

Hospice is serious medicine and offers state-of-the-art palliative (comfort) care, using advanced technologies and specialized training to prevent or alleviate distressing symptoms

Myth #9

Hospice is where one goes when all hope is gone.

The hospice philosophy is to live life to its fullest with comfort and dignity. Although a cure may no longer be possible, good care is available to prevent suffering. One gift of hospice is its capacity to help families identify and share their personal and spiritual connections with each other. It is no wonder that families often look back on their hospice experiences with gratitude.

Myth #10

When the hospice benefit is elected, Medicare coverage is denied for all diagnoses.

Medicare continues to pay for any covered services unrelated to the terminal diagnosis.

Myth #11

Hospice is more expensive than conventional care.

Studies have shown that hospice is no more costly than conventional care. In fact, it is frequently less expensive during the last six months of life because more efficient home care is performed and hospitalizations are avoided.

Myth #12

Once people are under hospice care, they can no longer keep their own doctor.

Patients may continue to keep their attending physician. The hospice physicians work closely with patients’ doctor of choice.

Myth #13

Palliative medicine will leave my loved one incoherent or unable to talk?

We work to find the right comfort balance for every patient, relieving pain without sacrificing alertness. This requires constant consulting with the patient and family, and sometimes regular adjustments to medication or other treatments.

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