Hospice offers palliative care that seeks to comfort rather than cure. Hospice offers comprehensive, compassionate care for people at the end of life and support for their families. There are more than 3,000 hospice programs across the country and 100 in Michigan.
Any person facing the advancing stages of any terminal illness is eligible for hospice care.
All U.S. citizens are entitled to Medicare coverage for hospice at the end of life. Hospice is a philosophy of care, not a place. Most hospice patients receive care in their home or the home of a relative or friend. Hospice care can also be provided in many long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, hospitals or nursing homes. Some hospices have residential units designed to provide a homelike setting where hospice is provided.