As you navigate hospice and palliative care, planning around an uncertain future may seem overwhelming. You may wonder, what will hospice care in South Jersey be like, how long can you live in hospice care, can I even recover in hospice care? The questions are many, and the answer is different for every patient. The bottom line is: You can continue to stay in hospice care as long as you meet the criteria. Read on to learn more.
What is hospice?
Before exploring how long a patient can live on hospice, let’s first define hospice.
Hospice care is a philosophy of care, not a place. Although some healthcare facilities do exclusively offer hospice services, hospice care is also frequently administered in the patient’s home.
Patients are referred to hospice when it is determined they have six months, assuming their illness follows its natural course, and they are no longer responding to, or taking part, in a curative treatment.
Hospice provides comfort, support, and dignity, and focuses on you as a whole person, not just the illness. Hospice care addresses your physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Learn more about the benefits of hospice care and how it helps patients live comfortably and meaningfully through near the end of life.
How long can you live in hospice care?
Hospice care is typically offered to patients with a prognosis of six months or less to live. But what happens if you need hospice care for longer? Can you stay in hospice beyond that timeframe?
The short answer: Yes, you can stay in hospice as long as needed.
Hospice care is provided in benefit periods per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, For example, South Jersey hospice providers like Samaritan provide:
- Two 90-day benefit periods
- Followed by unlimited 60-day benefit periods
At the end of each benefit period, your hospice team will evaluate your condition. As long as your physician recertifies that you are terminally ill, you can continue receiving hospice care without interruption. Your care team handles all re-certifications, so there’s no gap or pause in your services.
What if a patient gets better?
While hospice care is meant for those nearing the end of life, and although it is not the normal outcome of hospice, patients may occasionally improve with the added support and comfort it provides. If a patient’s condition stabilizes or improves significantly, the hospice care team may recommend discharge after careful review and discussion
How long do most people stay in hospice?
It varies widely, but national data from the NHPCO gives some perspective:
- Median length of stay in hospice: 18 days
- Average length of stay in hospice: 97.0 days
This big gap between the median and the average shows an important trend. Many people enter hospice very late—often in their final days—missing out on months of supportive care. By starting hospice earlier, patients and families can receive more comprehensive emotional, physical, and spiritual support for a longer period of time.
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Can I be re-admitted to hospice care?
And while the choice to utilize hospice and palliative care is a personal one, studies show that many people should choose hospice sooner. If you wait until the final weeks or even days of your life, you do not get to experience the full benefit of what hospice care in South Jersey offers.
In 2020, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) released data that found that 53.8% of Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care for 30 days or less, while only “a quarter (27.9%) of beneficiaries received care for seven days or less, which is considered too short a period for patients to fully benefit from the person-centered care available from hospice.”
Many families say they wished they called hospice sooner.
If you have previously utilized hospice services and think that you may need to be re-admitted, talk with your physician or call Samaritan today.