Choosing hospice for a loved one is undoubtedly a difficult, emotional decision — and choosing the right hospice provider can be a tough one, too! To make sure that your loved one receives the best hospice care possible, here are 10 good questions you should ask hospice about your loved one and the services they’ll receive.
1. How Is Your Hospice Care Program Owned and Operated?
It’s always best to start with the basics. Learn a little more about the team, their credentials, and their experience in the hospice field. Make sure that they’re capable of providing the care your loved one needs.
But don’t stop there! Along with this question, ask a little bit about the organization’s history and core values. Compassion and empathy are two huge components of great hospice care, so it’s important to not only understand what services they provide but also how they go about providing them.
2. Is Your Hospice Care Program Approved by Medicare/Medicaid?
Medicare or Medicaid will generally cover 100% of your loved one’s hospice care expenses — but only if you choose a service provider that’s approved and certified by those entities. Most are, but it’s an important question to ask regardless. This question can also give you a sense of how established and reliable the provider is.
3. Are There Any Out-of-Pocket Hospice Expenses My Family Should Anticipate?
While you’re asking about Medicare or Medicaid approval, it’s also a good time to ask about any additional expenses that these entities may not cover. Usually, Medicare/Medicaid covers everything, but some medications will be covered by your Part D prescription plan.
You may also be interested in some additional services for your loved one that aren’t covered, but may still be available to you at a certain cost. A good hospice provider will be transparent about this information, and will help you navigate which services your loved one needs and doesn’t need based on their condition.
4. How Often Will Your Hospice Nurses Visit?
In many cases, the standard frequency of hospice nurse visits is 2-3 times per week, for about an hour each time. But, of course, this schedule can (and should!) change depending on what your loved one’s health requires — and it will generally change throughout the hospice care journey, as your loved one’s health changes over time.
Therefore, you should ask this question with the intention of understanding how the hospice provider makes their care plans, or what factors they consider while making (or updating) them. This will give you a grasp on how personalized their plans and services are, and how dedicated they are to providing exceptional care for your loved one.
5. What Support Do You Provide in the Case of an Emergency?
Medicare and Medicaid don’t usually cover the cost of 24/7 hospice care, so most hospice care providers don’t offer it in their standard care plans. However, hospice providers will have nurses on call for 24/7 support, so you have somebody to contact in the case of an emergency. Most times, a nurse will be dispatched to help you manage your loved one’s conditions and problems.
Finding out what they offer, who answers middle-of-the-night calls, and how fast their response times are can help relieve some of the stress associated with feeling unprepared for the unexpected.
6. How Are You Different From Other Hospice Providers?
This is a good question to ask in order to determine any distinguishing factors that set a hospice provider apart, making them more or less suitable for your family and loved one’s needs. Listen for factors like location, level of care, services, credentials, experience, and/or values — then see how they align with what you’re looking for.
7. Can I Schedule Visits to Meet with a Counselor?
A quality hospice provider will offer a comprehensive list of hospice services that include more than just standard nursing and medical care. Ask questions to learn more about all the services they offer, in case your loved one and family require any counseling, faith-based support, home health aide, or volunteer services.
8. Will Someone Always Be Physically Present to Take Care of My Loved One?
As mentioned in question #5, hospice care doesn’t usually involve 24/7 in-home care — just regularly scheduled nursing visits and 24/7 on-call emergency services.
However, 24/7 care can be discussed if your hospice provider and doctor deem it necessary in your loved one’s personalized care plan. Nurses can come out any time during the day or night to address concerns, or they can sometimes provide 24/7 in-home care. These services may not be covered by Medicare/Medicaid, so they may come at an additional cost. It’s important to ask hospice providers what that may look like.
9. What Is the Expectation for My Family’s Role in Caregiving?
How will you be involved in care and decision making? How will you communicate with the hospice team? Will they be able to teach you how to provide certain forms of care?
These are all great questions to ask a hospice provider to gain a better understanding of what your role may be in working with them to care for your loved one. Then, you can pick one that best suits your needs, whether you want to be more or less involved in the process.
10. When Will Your Hospice Services Begin?
Finally, it’s always important to ask what the next steps look like. How quickly can this hospice provider put a personalized care plan together, and how early can they gather the resources to start managing your loved one’s chronic symptoms? When time seems to be running against you and your loved one’s time together, it’s important to find a hospice provider with the capacity to help as soon as possible.
Electing hospice is one of the most difficult decisions you may face. At West Michigan Hospice, we understand it’s not a choice you’ll make lightly, so we’re here to answer any questions you may have — whether you’re already a patient, or you’re just considering care options for your loved one. Feel free to reach out to our team via phone call (1-616-258-2680) or our online contact form for whatever help you need, whenever you need it.