A hospice team will conduct an assessment of patient needs and prepare an individualized care plan. The plan will address how much care a patient requires in order to be comfortable and for symptoms to be managed. That is, frequency of home visits vary according to patient needs. However, the hospice will establish regularly scheduled nursing visits, typically 2-3 times a week.
Although hospice does not include 24/7 nursing care, a nurse is on call for emergencies 24 hours a day. If a patient requires more care than what can be provided at home, he or she may consider an inpatient (long-term care) residential facility, nursing home, or hospital with hospice care options.