Sometimes people are admitted who are dying and who do not want to die at home or in the hospital. At other times, people with terminal illnesses may be admitted for what is called respite care. This gives the patient s family a short break from caring for the patient at home. Patients may spend a few days or a week at the hospice facility and then return home. Many hospices now also have outreach programs that provide care at home for people with terminal illnesses.
Services can include nursing care, counseling, social work, family support, and support by clergy.
Services are usually available for families or significant others even after the patient dies. These usually consist of group or individual grief counseling. It may take a referral from a physician to get someone enrolled in a hospice. The rules for enrollment can be different from one hospice to another. Some programs may offer pre-hospice counseling to people who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.