Terry Crawford 611 South Congress Ave. Provides psychosocial services and support groups for children with cancer and their families. A key objective in hospice care is to support the highest possible quality of life for a dying individual. Hospice care is tailored to each individual's needs and circumstances, and is provided by a team of professionals including doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains. Hospice care may be provided at a person's residence, even if it is a nursing home, or in a separate inpatient facility.
Some hospices provide both home care and inpatient care.
A nonprofit organization or a for-profit business may deliver hospice care. Medicare, the federal health benefit program for the aged and disabled, will cover hospice care for the last six months of a Medicare recipient's life. Most hospices accept private insurance, and many also will accept Medicaid and assist families with financial needs. The decision to begin hospice may be a difficult one. Choosing hospice care also may intensify feelings of grief and bereavement, both in the person who is dying and in others.