Hospice care is designed to enable patients with a terminal illness to live comfortably until their death. Hospice care emphasizes pain relief and symptom control instead of aggressive treatment. A team of health care professionals and trained volunteers offer the patient and his/her family support and guidance in dealing with the emotional and physical.shtmlects of dying.

Hospice care is most often provided at the patient's home, but it can also be delivered at a hospice facility. Depending on the needs and wishes of the individual and family involved, hospice care can include mental health services, home and personal care assistance, and spiritual care and counseling. Individuals and their families participate fully in the medical care given, and can opt at any time to return to more traditional medical care.

Hospice services are generally offered only to patients who have come to a mutual decision with their physician to enter a hospice program and whose care will continue to be supervised by that physician. Hospice care is usually limited to patients who have a life expectancy of months, rather than years, and who have a responsible family member or friend who is their primary caregiver.

The Hospice Foundation of America and the National Hospice Organization are excellent resources for learning about and locating hospices. Before you visit or call programs, you may wish to print out copies of GetCare.com's Hospice Checklist, which provides detailed questions to help you to evaluate and compare programs.

Many private insurance plans pay for hospice care, so consult your individual plan to see what is covered. Medicare Part A will pay for hospice care if the individual has been certified by their physician to have a terminal condition that will result in death within six months. Continued recertification in 90 day increments is necessary for continued Medicare Part A coverage.

Medicare Part A may also partially cover medication costs and some skilled home care services that usually are not covered, but, if it does, it may require that the individual forgo other Medicare benefits in exchange. Some states provide Medicaid assistance in covering hospice costs as well. Check with the hospice programs to see if they offer sliding fee scale for individuals with limited resources.