Types of Hospice Care

Hospice is specialized end-of-life care provided to patients with a prognosis of six months or less. Hospice can take place in various settings, including a private residence, an assisted living community, a nursing home, a residential care facility, or a hospice house. As such, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has designed four types of hospice care that patients may experience. Some patients may receive care from all four types, while others will only receive care from one. As a Medicare-certified hospice provider, we offer all four types of care. What differentiates these types of care is their purpose and goal. However, all four types offer the same high-quality, interdisciplinary care that patients have come to expect from At Home Hospice and Palliative Care. 

The first and most common type is hospice care at home. Here, home refers to anywhere a patient lives, not only a private residence. Medical equipment and devices get delivered once patients become eligible for this type of care. In a matter of days, patients and their families will meet their new care team that will schedule regular visits and create a care plan. Families can also count on receiving emotional and spiritual support from the care team as they navigate at-home care. Ideally, patients will remain at home throughout their time in hospice so that family and familiar objects can continually surround them. 

Sometimes, though, patients may need additional care not available at home. Continuous hospice care helps patients stabilize if their symptoms become untreatable by the care team. Symptoms range from needing regular bandage changes to intractable pain to extreme restlessness. Continuous care is meant to avoid hospitalization and is only temporary. If symptoms do not improve or a patient remains unstable, they may get moved to an inpatient hospice care facility. These cozy centers allow for extended family visits and aim to improve the patient’s condition until they return home. 
Lastly, respite care provides families with temporary relief from caregiving duties. Though each patient works with an interdisciplinary care team, families and loved ones typically become primary caregivers. The medical community recognizes the hardship and stress this may cause. Therefore, families are encouraged to take “breaks” from their duties. These opportunities to recharge are crucial for loved ones to care for the patient. At respite care facilities, patients receive around-the-clock care in a comfortable setting.