What is Home Hospice
and Palliative Care?
Being able to identify the kind of care that a potential client needs is vital as this cannot only save them time and money but can also greatly heighten the quality of their life in their end days. Two of the most confusing services to most clients are home hospice and palliative care which in most cases might sound very common but they could not be more different from each other when you understand what each of them is about and the kind of services that they offer.
Place.
Once the client or patient has been enrolled to a hospice program by the primary caregiver, the services are given at home by a team of hospice medical professionals. However, despite the fact that the hospice will offer round the clock care in a nursing home as well, they will usually have a facility on location or in some cases at hospital.
Palliative care on the other hand has a team that is made up of medical practitioners and caregivers who are usually where the patient is receiving treatment. They are tasked with ensuring that the patient is comfortable wherever they are. Commonly, palliative care is administered in an institution like a hospital or a nursing but rarely at home.
Timing.
The other difference between home hospice and palliative care is the timings and restrictions. For one to be offered home hospice services, they have to be considered to be suffering from a terminal illness or are expected to pass on in the next 6 months or both for one to be able to enjoy hospice benefits from their insurance.
However, with palliative care, there are no time restrictions and this kind of care can be received by any patient and at any stage of illness regardless of whether they are terminally ill or not.
It is also worth noting that unlike the home hospice insurance cover, palliative care is in most cases catered for by your health insurance. This is usually because of the fact that it is administered through the hospital. However, you have to make sure that this is the case and also, the prescription might be billed separately.