All patients' conditions in the hospice program are terminal and the patients have a life expectancy of no more than six months. Hospice volunteers act as part of a team of caregivers. Nurses and social workers fulfill medical and emotional needs while volunteers provide patients with support and companionship. Nurses might only meet with patients once or twice a week. They administer pain medication and handle the patient's physical care.
Volunteers provide company and help with domestic tasks.
Patients are referred to the volunteer program by nurses or social workers and can choose to accept or decline volunteer assistance. But for a number of reasons hospice care is not always administered in the home, she added. Medical and financial circumstances sometimes prevent home care. Some patients require 24-hour care or have no extended family to live with. Medicare provides a daily allowance for hospice care, but if the patient is not eligible for Medicare assistance, the cost of hospice care is passed on to the patient's insurance carrier.