Hospice Care in New Orleans, LA

Hospice services can be provided to a person who has a life-limiting illness wherever that person lives. This means a person living in a nursing facility or long-term care facility can receive specialized visits from hospice nurses, hospice aides, chaplains, social workers, and volunteers, in addition to other care and services provided by the nursing facility. The hospice and the nursing home will have a written agreement in place in order for the hospice to serve residents of the facility. The Medicare Hospice Benefit will cover the care related to your terminal illness, but it does not cover daily room and board charges of the facility. If you are eligible for Medicaid, Medicaid will cover room and board charges.

Many families wait to call hospice until the final days and weeks of their loved one’s life, not knowing they could have started receiving additional specialized nursing care and medications, medical equipment, and supplies related to their loved one’s terminal illness at no cost much earlier. Hospice care improves the patient’s quality of life by managing pain and other symptoms and improves the family/caregiver’s lives by having someone that they can lean on, seek guidance from and receive much-needed support during this difficult time. 

Each person’s end-of-life experience is unique, as it is influenced by such factors as the specific illness, medications being taken, and the person’s overall health. In some cases, these changes may occur over a period of weeks; for others, the process lasts just a few days or hours.

However, a number of end-of-life changes are fairly common, as a person’s bodily functions naturally slow and stop. The following changes are often signs of this process, though not every patient exhibits all of these end-of-life signs.

• Less interest in eating or drinking. The person may only need enough liquid to keep his or her mouth from becoming too dry. How to help: Offer, but don’t force, food, liquids, and medication. In some instances, the person may no longer feel pain he or she had previously felt.

• Not passing fluids regularly. As bodily functions decline and the person eats and drinks less, their output of fluids will also decrease. How to help: Do nothing. However, if the patient is not passing fluids but feels the urge to do so, contact their nurse for advice.

• Speaking and moving less. Activity usually decreases significantly in one’s final days and hours. People may not respond to questions and show little interest in their surroundings.

Hospice care may be considered for anyone doctors believe to have a life expectancy of less than six months. Usually at this point, active treatment aimed at recovery stops and hospice care is initiated. Hospice care focuses on producing the best possible quality of life in the patient’s remaining time.

Different diseases and conditions each have their own guidelines for hospice admission. The most common of these diseases or conditions include ALS, cancer, dementia, heart disease, HIV, kidney disease, liver disease, lung disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and coma. Sometimes a patient does not “fit” into the guidelines but still has a life expectancy of six months or less and therefore may be eligible for hospice.

In order to be eligible to elect hospice care under Medicare, an individual must be entitled to Part A of Medicare and certified as being terminally ill by a physician and having a prognosis of 6 months or less if the disease runs its normal course.

• Medicare covers hospice care costs through the Medicare Hospice Benefit. See Medicare For More Info

• Veterans' Administration (VA) benefits also cover hospice care. See Va.gov For More Info

• The coverage of hospice care by Medicaid is optional and varies by state. See Medicaid For More Info

In addition to Medicare and Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations recognize the value of hospice care and include hospice coverage in their plans. Additionally, some hospices provide charity care to patients who do not have insurance coverage or the ability to pay for their care.

Hospice redefines hope and helps patients and their families reclaim the spirit of life. Hospice care focuses on improving the patient’s quality of life allowing them to make the most of the time they have.

Palliative care is a specialized approach to medical care that focuses on improving the quality of life for individuals facing serious illnesses, regardless of whether those illnesses are considered curable or not. Learn more about palliative care.