Hospice care is about helping patients live each day of their lives to the fullest extent possible, and providing support to both patients and families.

When making a decision about hospice care, it helps to have a good understanding of what hospice is, and what it isn't. Here are some of the most common misconceptions about hospice, along with the true facts about this special kind of care.

Myth: Hospice is a place.  |  Myth: Hospice means that the patient will soon die.  |  Myth: Families have to pay for hospice care.  |  Myth: Patients have to give up their own doctor.  |  Myth: Hospice is only for cancer patients.  |  Myth: Patients can only receive hospice care for a limited amount of time.  |  Myth: Hospice provides 24-hour care.  |  Myth: All hospice programs are the same.  |  Myth: Hospice is just for the patient.

Myth: Hospice is a place.

Fact: Hospice care usually takes place in the comfort of your home, but can be provided in any environment in which you live, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and residential care facilities.
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Myth: Hospice means that the patient will soon die.

Fact: Receiving hospice care does not mean giving up hope or that death is imminent. The earlier an individual receives hospice care, the more opportunity there is to stabilize your medical condition and address other needs. Some patients actually improve and may be discharged from hospice care.
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Myth: Families have to pay for hospice care.

Fact: Hospice care is a Medicare benefit. Most private insurers also cover hospice care as well. And, through its charity care policies, Sutter VNA & Hospice is committed to caring for all patients, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.
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Myth: Patients have to give up their own doctor.

Fact: Patients may keep their own physician, who will work closely with the Sutter VNA & Hospice Medical Director to plan and carry out care.
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Myth: Hospice is only for cancer patients.

Fact: A large number of hospice patients have congestive heart failure, dementia, chronic lung disease, or other conditions.
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Myth: Patients can only receive hospice care for a limited amount of time.

Fact: The Medicare benefit, and most private insurance, pays for hospice care as long as the patient continues to meets the criteria necessary. Patients may come on and off hospice care, and re-enroll in hospice care, as needed.
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Myth: Hospice provides 24-hour care.

Fact: The hospice team (which includes nurses, social workers, home health aides, chaplains, and bereavement counselors) visits patients intermittently, and are available 24 hours a day/7 days a week for support and care. Sutter VNA & Hospice can help arrange for 24-hour attendant care if necessary.
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Myth: All hospice programs are the same.

Fact: All licensed hospice programs must provide certain services, but the range of support services and programs may differ. Some programs are not-for-profit (such as Sutter VNA & Hospice), and their revenue is used to provide patient care and community services, versus for-profit hospices, which are accountable to shareholders.
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Myth: Hospice is just for the patient.

Fact: Hospice focuses on comfort, dignity, and emotional support. The quality of life for the patient, but also family members and others who are caregivers, is the highest priority.
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