10 common misconceptions about Hospice care

Hospice begins when a cure is no longer possible, and symptom management, along with promoting comfort, is the goal.

Hospice is not about dying; it’s about living. At the end, we may have to decide how we want to live the finite number of days we have left.

Think about Hospice as helping you live those days to your best potential.

In this blog, we’re going to address 10 common misconceptions about Hospice care.

Misconception #1: Hospice is a place.

Is hospice a place? No. Hospice is a philosophy. 

I think the confusion comes because there are Hospice Houses, where you can take a loved one when there’s difficulty managing symptoms at home. 

Some people think that’s where you put somebody on Hospice. Hospice can be performed any place where the person lives. 

Misconception #2: Hospice means giving up.

A lot of people think that when you go into Hospice care, you’re asked to stop all treatment and stop all medications. Hospice really is just a philosophy that shifts the focus from treatment to comfort and quality of care. 

Hospice does not require or want anybody to give up. In fact, we want to offer hope that in the last days in your disease process, you get to live life how you want to live.

Misconception #3: Hospice is the is only for the last few days of life.

We do a survey at the end of service, and one of the most common pieces of feedback we get from family is, “We wish we would have known about Hospice sooner.” 

Hospice is for the end of life, and it’s defined that if your disease progresses like a normal person, your life expectancy is around six months or less.

We have no crystal ball to predict that. But we’ve had people on Hospice for two and three years, and we’ve had patients that graduate because they don’t run the predictable course of their disease.

Misconception #4: You must stop seeing your doctor.

Your personal doctor, if you wish to retain them, works in collaboration with our Hospice medical directors, who are skilled at symptom management, types of medications, and dosing. 

You can choose the Hospice medical director to follow you completely, but it is a collaboration between your family doctor and our medical director.

Misconception #5: Hospice is just morphine.

That is a big myth that we get questioned about all the time. Morphine is one of the medications we use for comfort in the end stages of life. We have a whole pharmacy at our disposal for what works with the patient.

Our goal is to find medications that work to control the symptoms. 

Misconception #6: Hospice speeds up death.

I can see where people get confused with that. Some of the medications that bring a patient comfort can make them sleepy. That is why we work very, very closely with our medical directors to make sure patients are on the right dose.

However, as some people progress in their disease process, their symptoms become so severe and unmanageable that you do go to higher dosage.

Hospice doesn’t speed up death. It’s the natural progress that ultimately causes the death.

Misconception #7: Once you’re in hospice care, you can’t leave.

Hospice is a kind of insurance. When you elect your Hospice benefit, you’re going to sign a paper to elect that benefit. Hospice becomes the entity that pays for all the care around your terminal diagnosis. 

If you need to return to the hospital for any reason related to that terminal diagnosis, Hospice will cover that.

If you want to go back to the hospital and receive care for anything that’s not related to that terminal diagnosis, you can also get that. 

But there are times when people want to revoke and not continue with Hospice care, and they complete a form to leave Hospice. 

Misconception #8: Hospice is only for cancer patients.

Hospice is for any disease that if it runs its normal progression, life expectancy is about six months or less. This myth, I think, prevents a lot of people with other chronic diseases that eventually lead to death to get a referral early on in their disease process to get the support needed in the last six months of life. 

Misconception #9: Hospice is only for the patient.

It is patient centered. All the medical treatments are around the patient. But we have an entire care team that’s also working with family and friends. 

We have a 13-month bereavement program that will provide support after somebody passes away. We also have events that bring families of loved ones together for support groups. 

Again, hospice is a philosophy, and part of that philosophy is when somebody is in their last months of life, it’s a family affair.

Misconception #10: Hospice is expensive.

Hospice is a covered benefit for Medicare patients at 100 percent, and almost all commercial insurance covers it at 100 percent. There may be some insurance coverage that has co-pays, but they’re nominal. We also have Hospice funding that can help families and patients offset some of their daily living costs.

Bonus: A patient must have a DNR to enroll in hospice.

This is my favorite myth that you must be a DNR, which is a do not resuscitate, to enroll in Hospice. That is not true. That is a philosophy that some Hospices have used, and I think that’s now created confusion among patients and even providers. 

Our job as the Hospice provider is to help you and your family on your journey. If we get to where we want to sign a DNR, we can help you put those advanced care planning wishes in place.

Quality of life at the end of life

WVU Medicine Hospice provides care in 10 counties in West Virginia and two in Pennsylvania. Our physicians are on call 24 hours a day for care consultations, and our support professionals are specifically trained to provide pain and symptom management.

We neither hasten nor postpone death, but affirm life, emphasizing quality and comfort.

For more information, click here.