At any time during a serious advanced illness, as a caregiver you can – and should – discuss care options with your loved one, including hospice. By law, the decision belongs to the patient or their appointed healthcare representative if the patient is unable to speak for themselves. We are available anytime to discuss options for skilled, compassionate care.

Patients and their loved ones do not need to wait to discuss hospice care with a physician, other healthcare professionals, clergy or friends. The patient has a right to be treated according to their wishes – and should make their wishes known. If the patient is unable to speak for themselves, their appointed healthcare representative can make their wishes known. We’re here to help.

Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance cover all services and supplies for the hospice patient, and Center for Hospice Care does not require any Medicare co-payments.

For patients without Medicare or other health insurance, Center for Hospice Care’s services are administered on a generous sliding fee scale. We made a promise to the communities we serve when we opened our doors in 1980 that no one eligible for hospice services would ever be turned away because they were unable to pay. Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we have been able to keep that promise.

Certainly. If the patient’s condition improves and the disease seems to be in remission, patients can be discharged from Center for Hospice Care and return to therapy. If the discharged patient should later need to return to hospice care, Medicare and most private insurance will allow additional coverage for this purpose.

First, we contact your loved one’s physician to make sure he or she agrees that hospice care is appropriate. The patient or healthcare representative will be asked to sign consent and insurance forms. The “Hospice Election Form” states that the patient or healthcare representative understands the care is palliative (aimed at pain relief and symptom control) rather than curative, and outlines services available.

Hospice is a philosophy of care which believes that emotional and spiritual pain is just as real and in need of attention as physical pain, so we address them all. Our doctors and nurses are up to date on the latest therapies for pain and symptom relief. Physical and occupational therapists may assist the patient to be as mobile and self-sufficient as possible, and they are joined by specialists in massage and diet counseling.

Very high. Using some combination of medications, counseling and therapies, most patients can be kept pain-free and comfortable.

Not usually. We’ve seen how keeping patients pain-free and alert enables the last phase of life to be a time of healing and peace.

No. Although over 90 percent of our care is provided in a personal residence, some patients live in assisted living, nursing homes, or should the need arise, in one of our two area inpatient units, Esther’s House located on our Elkhart Campus and the Ernestine M. Raclin House located on our Mishawaka Campus.

A team consisting of a doctor, nurses, social workers, aides, chaplains, therapists and volunteers helps care for our patients. We also provide medications, supplies and equipment.

We assess your loved one’s needs and make the arrangements to obtain the necessary equipment. In general, we will assist in any way we can to make home care as convenient and safe as possible.

There is no set number. The patient’s individualized care will determine the amount of caregiving needed. Hospice personnel visit regularly and are always accessible to answer medical questions and provide support.

It is never easy and sometimes may be quite hard. At the end of a long, progressive illness, nights especially can be long and lonely. We have staff available around the clock to call for support, including night visits if needed.

Hospice neither hastens nor postpones the dying process. Just as doctors and midwives lend support and expertise during the time of birth, the hospice team provides specialized knowledge to help the patient live their last chapter of life as fully as possible.

Our hospice and palliative care go together, but there are differences you should know about. Hospice care requires a physician to certify that a patient’s illness carries a life expectancy of six months or less if the disease runs its normal course. Hospice patients choose not to pursue curative, aggressive treatments and instead wish to focus on what matters most to them, like spending time with loved ones and friends.

Palliative care, on the other hand, can begin without a terminal diagnosis and may be provided alongside curative medical treatment. Its goals are like hospice care, but with a greater focus on helping patients through the course of their treatment.

Our palliative care services are appropriate for patients with a life expectancy of more than six months. We have an interdisciplinary team that will determine on a case-by-case basis which program is most appropriate for your loved one.

Coverage for palliative care services may be available under the home health benefits of Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. If these insurance options do not apply, a self-pay program is available and is administered on a sliding fee scale. No one is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.

Admission into both of our palliative care programs is made without regard to age, gender, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, diagnosis or ability to pay for services.

No. While some churches and religions have started hospices (sometimes in connection with their hospitals), Center for Hospice Care serves a broad community and does not require patients to adhere to any particular set of beliefs.

Center for Hospice Care provides continuing contact and support for family and friends for at least a year following the death of a loved one. Knowing the struggles of learning to live again without a person in your life, our bereavement support is available to anyone in our community, whether their loved ones were in our care or not.