What is Hospice Care?

What Hospice Care Is (and What It Isn’t)

What hospice care is:

• Specialized care for people with a life-threatening illness, usually when a doctor thinks the illness will follow its regular course and the person will only live for about six months or fewer.
• A team-based approach that includes medical, emotional, and spiritual support for both the person who is ill and their loved ones.
• Care that focuses on quality of life, comfort, and dignity. It helps people live as fully as possible in the time they have.

What hospice care is not:

• Hospice is not “giving up.” It’s a change in goals from curative to comfort, safety, and meaningful time with loved ones.
• Hospice is not just for the final days of life. Many people can receive hospice care for months, and if they continue to meet medical criteria, hospice may be extended.
• Hospice does not shorten life. The focus is on easing symptoms, coordinating care, and avoiding repeated stressful hospital visits. In many cases, this support can help people feel more stable and comfortable.
• Hospice does not mean losing your medical team. Hospice works with your existing providers and specialists to align care with your wishes.

Who Can Benefit from Hospice Care?

Hospice care is based on a person’s needs. It is not dependent on their age or specific diagnosis. People may benefit from hospice when they have a serious illness such as:

• Advanced dementia
• Cancer
• Heart failure or other serious heart conditions
• Lung disease such as COPD
• Kidney or liver failure
• Neurologic conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, ALS, or stroke

Common signs that hospice might be helpful include:

• Frequent hospitalizations or emergency room visits
• Increasing pain, shortness of breath, or other difficult symptoms
• Unintentional weight loss or increased sleep
• Needing more help with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, walking, or using the bathroom
• Caregivers feeling overwhelmed by day-to-day needs and decisions

Hospice care is a good fit for people who meet the criteria and also:

• Want to focus on comfort and quality of life
• Prefer to be at home or in familiar surroundings whenever possible
• Value having a coordinated team to support both the patient and their loved ones

Where Hospice Care Happens

Hospice care follows you wherever you live. For many families, this means care in:

• A private home, apartment, or townhome
• Assisted living facilities
• Nursing homes or long-term care facilities

North Memorial Health Hospice provides expert in-home hospice support across communities throughout the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. Hospice team members visit on a regular schedule based on a person’s needs, and families have access to 24/7 phone support for urgent questions or concerns.

What Services Does Hospice Provide?

Hospice wraps a wide range of services around the person and their loved ones. While every plan is personalized, common hospice services include:

• Medical care and symptom management
  • Regular visits from nurses and other team members
  • Expert management of pain, shortness of breath, nausea, anxiety, and other symptoms
  • Coordination with the hospice medical director and your other providers
• Medications and medical equipment
  • Medications related to the hospice diagnosis that support comfort and symptom relief
  • Equipment such as a hospital bed, wheelchair, oxygen, or other supplies needed to stay safely at home
• Personal care and daily support
  • Help with personal hygiene, bathing, and dressing
  • Tips and education on safe transfers, positioning, and skin care
• Emotional and spiritual support
  • Social workers to help with coping, planning, and connecting to community resources
  • Chaplains or spiritual care providers available for people of any faith—or no faith
  • Support groups or connections to counseling when needed
• Support for caregivers and family
  • Education and training to help caregivers feel more confident at home
  • Short-term respite options so caregivers can rest and recharge
  • Follow-up grief and bereavement support for family and loved ones after a death (often for up to 13 months).

North Memorial Health Hospice also offers specialized services such as music therapy, Reiki, and aromatherapy, which can help bring comfort, relaxation, and meaningful connection during difficult moments.

Hospice vs. Palliative Care

Hospice and palliative care share an important goal: to improve quality of life and ease symptoms for people with serious illness. But there are key differences.

Palliative care:

• Can be provided at any stage of a serious illness
• Often given alongside curative or aggressive treatments (such as chemotherapy, surgery, or dialysis)
• Focuses on managing symptoms, supporting decision-making, and improving quality of life

Hospice care:

• Is a type of palliative care for people who are nearing the end of life and are no longer seeking curative treatments
• Typically begins when a doctor believes life expectancy may be around six months or less, if the illness follows its natural course
• Shifts the focus fully to comfort, dignity, and time with loved ones

Many people receive palliative care earlier in their illness and transition to hospice when treatments aimed at curing an illness is no longer helpful or consistent with their goals.

How Hospice Supports Families and Caregivers

Serious illness affects more than the person who is sick. It also affects everyone who loves and cares for them. Hospice teams help families and caregivers by:

• Listening and guiding
  • Helping families understand what to expect as illness progresses
  • Answering questions about symptoms, medications, and care options
• Teaching and coaching
  • Showing caregivers how to safely provide daily care
  • Explaining how to use equipment like hospital beds or oxygen
  • Providing written materials and practical tips to use at home

• Offering emotional and spiritual support
  • Providing space to talk about fears, grief, and difficult decisions
  • Connecting families with chaplains or spiritual care providers if desired
• Supporting after a loss
  • Offering grief support and counseling for family members, friends, and loved ones
  • Providing memorial services and ongoing bereavement resources

When to Consider Hospice Care

Every situation is unique. There’s no single “right” moment. However, it may be time to ask about hospice when:

• A doctor has mentioned that an illness is advanced or no longer responding to treatment
• There are frequent hospital stays, ER visits, or urgent calls to the clinic
• Day-to-day tasks like eating, bathing, walking, and using the bathroom require more help than before
• There is significant weight loss, more time spent sleeping, or a noticeable decline in strength
• Pain, shortness of breath, confusion, or other symptoms are becoming harder to manage at home
• Caregivers feel physically, emotionally, or spiritually exhausted and need more support

For dementia specifically, hospice may be appropriate when a person can no longer communicate clearly, recognize loved ones, eat independently, or move around without assistance—and when they have additional health issues such as infections, weight loss, or difficulty swallowing.

If any of this sounds familiar, it doesn’t automatically mean hospice is required, but it is a good time to start a conversation.

Talking With Your Provider About Hospice

Starting a conversation about hospice can feel intimidating, but it’s an important step in making sure care aligns with your wishes.

You might begin by asking your primary care provider or specialist:

• “Based on my condition, would hospice be helpful for me?”
• “What should we expect over the next months?”
• “Are we at the point where we should focus more on comfort than cure?”
• “Can we talk about a hospice referral to better understand our options?”

Your provider can:

• Review your current health, treatments, and prognosis
• Explain whether you meet medical criteria for hospice
• Work with a hospice team to coordinate a referral if needed

You can also contact hospice directly with questions. Our hospice care transitions coordinators will speak with you and your family before a formal referral to help you understand what support is available.

Who Pays for Hospice Care?

For many families, the cost of hospice is a major concern. Hospice care is widely covered by:

• Medicare covers hospice for eligible patients, including:
  • Nursing visits
  • Medications related to the hospice diagnosis
  • Medical equipment and supplies like wheelchairs and oxygen
  • Emotional and spiritual support services
• Medicaid and most private insurers also cover hospice care, often with little or no out-of-pocket cost for families.
• Financial assistance or charitable care may be available for those who qualify, helping ensure that cost is not a barrier to comfort-focused care.

Coverage details can vary, so it’s important to:

• Review your insurance plan
• Ask the hospice team’s financial counselor or admissions staff to walk you through what is covered in your situation

Is Hospice Care Right for You?

Deciding on hospice is deeply personal. It may be a good fit if:

• You are living with a serious, life-limiting illness
• Aggressive treatments are no longer helping or no longer feels consistent with your wishes
• Comfort, dignity, and meaningful time with loved ones are the top priorities
• You want a coordinated team to support both you and your loved ones