Government regulations require hospice to work with the patient's primary care physician. So, as a patient benefits from Hospice services, all cares administered to the patient are done under the direction of their own physician. Abundant Life's Hospice coordinates a team of friendly professionals to work with your physician to help you with your physical, emotional and spiritual needs.The Abundant Life Hospice team consists of your personal physician, our medical director, case managers, nurses, social workers, certified nurse's aides, dieticians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, massage therapists, spiritual care counselors, bereavement coordinators, music therapists, art therapists and volunteers.

In fact, anyone can give a referral for Hospice or Home Health. An education counselor can meet with a patient and their family to explain Home Health and Hospice benefits in detail. However, when a patient desire either Home Health or Hospice, an order from the patient's physician must be received before a nurse can conduct a patient evaluation to determine eligibility for Home Health and Hospice services.

No. Hospice means allowing for hope to receive the help you need at the time you need it. When you take the S-I-C out of HOSPICE, you are left with H-O-P-E. End of life care is a process.

Abundant Life Hospice does not hasten nor postpone the natural part of life we call death. We create an environment for higher quality of life by supporting our patients and their families during the end of life experience. Hospice manages the pain and symptoms associated with this process, allowing patients to live life to its fullest. 

No one can determine the exact time a person will die, so Hospice patients are certainly not obligated to die within six months of coming on Hospice services. Hospice patients have a six month prognosis, meaning that the average patient will probably die within six months or less considering that their illness will run its natural course. Actually, about 20% of terminally ill patients live longer than their estimated six month prognosis. And, the Hospice staff is there to raise the Hospice patient's quality of life.

Are patients taken off service if they live more than six months? No. If your physician continues to certify that you have a life-limiting illness and life expectancy, Medicare and most other insurers will continue to pay for your hospice care.

No. You cannot create addictions in someone who is in severe pain at the end of life. The medication will address the pain first, before an addiction is even possible. 

The difference between Hospice and Home Health is a matter of what type of care that is being administered. Hospice is palliative care and Home Health is curative. Hospice care treats the symptoms only, alleviating pain and symptoms without eliminating the cause. Hospice care provides comfort measures to assure the patient's comfort and quality of life. Home Health is used at a time when an individual has experienced a critical episode requiring skilled needs such as IV care, diabetic education, physical therapy, skilled nursing, etc. The need for Home Health may come as a result of a sickness, a surgical operation, or a fall resulting in a broken bone, just to name a few instances.

While both Home Health and Hospice teams involve a similar group of working professionals, the focus of the two services is quite different.

No. Hospice is available to patients with all types of terminal diagnoses and has a set of symptoms and treatments for each diagnosis. Patients with any of the following diagnoses can be appropriate for hospice care, though hospice care is not limited to these diseases alone: 

End-Stage Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia

Failure of Multiple Organ Systems

End-Stage Cardiovascular Disease

End-Stage Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

End-Stage Cerebrovascular Disease

End-Stage Renal Disease

Metastatic Malignancies (Cancer, Leukemia)

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

End-Stage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease)

Parkinson's Disease

Failure to Thrive

Actually, Hospice saves the government $1.50 for every $1.00 spent on end of life care. Hospice care also saves money for the hospice patient as it keeps them safe at home and helps limit the number of hospital visits they have to make.

Actually, people of all ages are eligible for Home Health Care based upon their own health needs. Older patients aren't the only people receiving Home Health Care. Young mothers and babies receive services as well as older individuals. In addition, Home Health Care may be necessary for a variety of life altering situations such as car accidents, unanticipated illnesses, surgical procedures, or other mishaps. Eligibilty for Home Health Care is not based on an individual's age.

The clinical training of the staff for Home Health Care is the same if not better and more intensive than training in institutions such as nursing homes, hospitals, or rehabilitation facilities. Home Health Care clinicians need to be well versed since they're often on their own inside an individual's home. Most services that might be administered in another type of facility can easily be administered in a home setting. From physical therapy to intravenous therapy and ventilator care, the Home Health patient can get all the help they need in the comfort of their own home.

In fact Home Health Care is quite the opposite whereas it finds ways to solve the patient's problem. The purpose of Home Health visits is to teach family members how to provide care for their loved ones in their own home. Home Health clinicians are also available to the patient and family to inform them of other resources in their communities that will be able to assist them to function at their highest level if possible where they were prior to hospitalization. For example, patients and family members are taught how to do procedures such as uncomplicated wound care and post-orthopedic home exercises that will aide their loved one in their journey towards a full recovery.

Actually, Home Health Care provided by professional caregivers often supplements other care arrangements and helps ensure patients receive the care they need and deserve. Instead of viewing Home Health Care as a replacement for other care arrangements, it is about meeting people's needs and wants regardless of where or when services are provided or who else is involved in the care process. Home Health Care is often supplemental to other non-medical in-home care or assistance being provided by a loved one's family members.

There are actually many ways for seniors to afford quality in-home Health Care. VA benefits, long-term care insurance, and access to state and local programs such as Medicare and Medicaid are making it so families are able to afford quality home care for their loved ones. Home Health Care is not an exclusive service reserved only for the wealthy.

This is not the case for many families. If the senior has medical issues that require health care throughout the day, a nursing home or some othey type of assisted living facility may be the right option; however, most seniors require assistance and many times it is non-medical. Seniors want to live out their lives in the comfort of their own homes. Home Health Care services allow them to not only enjoy time at home, but to do so at an extremely high quality of life