Frequently Asked Questions

Hospice is comfort-focused end-of-life care for people with life-limiting illness. It supports physical symptoms as well as emotional, social, spiritual, caregiver, and bereavement needs.

It can be helpful to ask when there is progressive decline, increasing symptom burden, frequent hospital use, growing dependence, poor intake or weight loss, or when the patient’s goals are shifting toward comfort.

Hospice eligibility is determined through clinical evaluation and required physician certification under applicable hospice criteria.

No. Hospice is active care focused on comfort, symptom relief, dignity, communication, and support. The plan of care is individualized to the patient’s goals and clinical needs.

Palliative care focuses on quality of life and relief of symptoms during serious illness. Depending on the clinical situation, it may be provided alongside disease-directed treatment.

No. Both emphasize comfort and quality of life, but hospice is specifically end-of-life care and requires hospice eligibility. Palliative care can be used at different stages of serious illness.

Yes. Hospice care commonly includes education, emotional support, communication, care coordination, and bereavement support for families and caregivers.

Yes. Physicians, hospitals, nursing facilities, other healthcare professionals, patients, and families can contact hospice to start a referral conversation.

Helpful information may include diagnoses, recent clinical notes, medication lists, functional and nutritional decline, recent hospital use, current symptoms, and patient/family contact information.

Call 911 for a medical emergency. The contact information on this website is not a substitute for emergency services.