Frequently Asked Questions
Pain Management in Carmel, Indiana
Who is eligible for hospice?
Hospice is for any person with a terminal diagnosis who wishes palliative, comfort care to treat their disease.
Common diagnoses are:
- Cancer
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Heart Disease
- AIDS
- COPD
- Lung Disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Kidney Disease
- Lou Gehrig’s Disease
- Liver Disease
What are the different levels of hospice care?
- Routine Care – the patient lives in their home, nursing facility or assisted living facility; he or she gets intermittent visits from the hospice team. Help is available 24 hours a day by on-call nursing staff.
- Inpatient Care – suitable for patients with pain or symptoms that cannot be controlled at home; the patient may need to be admitted to contracted facility where specialized services and round-the-clock care are available.
- Respite Care – for patients living at home with family caregivers who are assisting with their care; the hospice team takes over the caregiving duties while family members take a break, go on vacation or take time to regain their strength and avoid burn out. For a period of 1 to 5 days, the hospice staff can stay with the patient at home or the patient may be admitted in contracted facilities.
- Continuous Care – occasionally a patient may need more then intermittent visits by the hospice team in order to manage severe symptoms or to handle health crisis that could arise at any time. The hospice staff will stay with the patient in their home for long periods of time.
Will I be home-bound?
No. Hospice patients are encouraged to be out and active as much as they are able. There is no home-bound requirement for hospice.