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Section 1 - Assistive Technology
Section 2 - Divorce Issues
Section 3 - Drugs/Medications
Section 4 - Checklist, Documents, Forms
Section 5 - Employment Issues
Section 6 - Estate Planning
Advanced Directives & DNR's
Section 7 - Caregiver Resources
Patient Quality of Life: Should Doctors Guess It?
Incontinence Care
Section 8 - Children Seriously Ill
Children of The Chronically Ill
Siblings of Children with Special Health Needs
Guides To Disability Issues
End Stage Hospital & Home Care
Child With A Serious Illness
Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)
Camps-Special Needs Children
Children's Wish Foundations
Section 9 - For Kids
Section 10 - Family Resources
Section 11 - Patient Resources
Section 12 - Financial Aids
Section 13 - Insurance
Long Term Care Insurance
Section 14 - Legal
Section 15 - Long Term Care
Section 16 - Symptom Support
Section 17 - End of Life
Section 18 - Funeral Planning
Section 19 - After Death Occurs
Guestbook
Hospice FAQS
Symptom Support
Behavoir Strategies
Ill Person's Feelings
Caregiving & Family Harmony
Caregiver Grief ~Article
End of Life
Comforting A Dying Person
End Stages of Life
When Someone Dies
Funeral Planning
Bereavement Fares and Discounts
Common Bonds of Caregiving
Tips For Helping Your Friend
About me
Free Greeting Cards
Estate Planning Definition
Living & Other Trusts
Wills & Beneficiaries
State Laws On Wills
Conservator~Guardianship Definitions
Conservator~Guardianship
Insurance Issues
Avoiding Probate
Prescription Drug Program I
Prescription Drug Cards II
Disability & SSDI Insurance Questions
Long Term Care Insurance
Employment Issues
Divorce Issues
State Laws-Statutes
Legal
Documents
Making A Personal File
Emergency Info Form
Emergency Planning
Health Care Surrogate
Forms, Checklist
Family Resources
Patient Resources
Rehab Tools-Assistive Tech. Categories
State Map-Ombudsman Program
NH Your Rights-Fact Sheets
Nursing Homes and Your Rights - Factsheets for some seriously ill or their caregivers.
Long Term Care-Facts & Rights
State & Federal Resources
Drug Resources
Grief & Sorrow
When death nears - Signs and Symptoms
Some Facts About Artificial Nutrition and Hydration
Things To Consider-Artificial Nutrition and Hydration
Hospice FAQS & Resources
What Is Hospice, Choosing & Finding A Hospice,
Medicaid/Medicare Coverage, Children, Considerations, Q&A's and Links
What Is Hospice?
 
What is Palliative Care? - A New York Times article addresses a range of problems, from intense pain to depression, that dying people and their loved ones may suffer.
 
Understanding Palliative Care  - A 2 page document from Partnership For Care in PDF format
 
The Hospice Concept  - Hospice emphasizes palliative rather than curative treatment; quality rather than quantity of life. The dying are comforted. Professional medical care is given, and sophisticated symptom relief provided. The patient and family are both included in the care plan and emotional, spiritual and practical support is given based on the patients wishes and familys needs. Trained volunteers can offer respite care for family members as well as meaningful support to the patient.
 
A Brief Overview of Services-Hospice The Comfort Team-Hospice is really a bundle of services. It organizes a team of people to help patients and their families, most often in the patient's home but also in hospice residences, nursing homes, and hospitals..........
 
The Hospice Team  - typically includes a physician, a nurse, a home health aide, a social worker, a chaplain and a volunteer.
 
Hospice-A Model for Caregiving - The partnership formed between a family and hospice personnel can ensure quality care for a person who is dying. Hospice support­ive services are designed to offer information and back-up to fami­ly members so that they will be more able to care for their loved one. Hospice care focuses on addressing some central goals
 
therapy page - Hospices must also provide occupational therapists, physical therapists, and/or speech-language therapists if your loved one would benefit from these types of therapy. You have the right to request these services and to receive these services.
 
Test Your Hospice IQ - Do you know enough about hospice to be sure that you can help a family member or friend who is seriously ill and nearing the end of life? Take this Partnership For Caring quiz by answering each of the questions "yes" or "no." When you've completed the quiz, see the table to check your score and your hospice smarts!
 
Complaint Form: Printable  - If you have Hospice care and have reason to file a complaint against that Hospice, this is the form to use.
 
Complaints: Filing (About Improper Hospice Services)  Information on the types of complaints you might have and what action to take.
 
Choosing & Finding
A Hospice
 
When To Choose A Hospice
Although many referrals are made by physicians, anyone can refer a patient to hospice--friend, family member, or clergy. Hospice will contact the physician to see if the patient is appropriate for hospice care. Hospice will then consult the patient and family to see if hospice services are desired.  Admission criteria
 
Find a Local Hospice  - Select a state you are interested in or type a provider name and then click search. The search will display a list of cities and counties in the specified state that are served by hospices. Selecting a city or county will result in a list of local Hospice's in the surrounding area that serve that city or county complete with contact information. Or you can look in one of the following:
 
Guidelines For Determining Prognosis/Hospice Coverage -
AHS Medicare ~ Medical Review & Appeals   Shows the AMA description of all Hospice Policies for determining needs of care/prognosis. Your physician will review these parameters to help determine whether a patient is appropriate for hospice care and/or for the Medicare/Medicaid Hospice Benefit. These General Guidelines apply to all patients referred to hospice. However, they may be specifically applied to patients who do not fall under any of the specific diagnostic categories for which disease-specific Guidelines have been written.
 
Worksheets for Determining Prognosis-Hospice - The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization supports the following guidelines to aid in determining prognosis in non-cancer disease. These worksheets are just a starting point in decision making in non-cancer disease. At the time of admission, clinical judgment must always be applied in each individual case to supplement these guidelines. All documents are in PDF format.
Consumers Guide To Selecting A Hospice - This brochure will help you learn more about hospice care so you and your loved ones can make an educated decision about end-of-life care.  It contains information on what hospice care is, what services are provided, and what are the key questions to ask when selecting a hospice program.   The brochure will help you choose a hospice program that best suits your needs and wishes, as well as those of your loved ones.  Also available in PDF format.
 
Medicaid & Medicare Hospice Coverage
 
Medicaid Hospice Benefits-Optional By State
Health Care Financing Administration FAQ - In order to be covered, a plan of care must be established before services are provided. The following are covered hospice services: nursing care; medical social services; physicians' services; counseling services; home health aide; medical appliances and supplies, including drugs and biologicals; and physical and occupational therapy. In general, the services must be related to the palliation or management of the patient's terminal illness, symptom control, or to enable the individual to maintain activities of daily living and basic functional skills.
 
State Medicaid Plans
select a state
The state Medicaid plan section of the CMS web site represents our effort to make the state Medicaid plan materials available to the public in a convenient, searchable format. In order to search a state's plan, please go to above site . You can then search for specific text in the entire state plan, or within selected subsections.

Medicare & Hospice
Hospice is both physical and counseling care provided for people who are terminally ill. Hospice is given by a public agency or private company approved by Medicare. It is for all age groups, including children, adults and the elderly during their final stages of life.
Written by Hospice-The Medicare Hospice benefit is entirely different from the Medicare Home Health benefit. The Medicare Hospice Benefit is reimbursed under a system of prospective payment and is subject to its own unique Medicare Conditions of Participation. The Medicare Hospice Benefit is a Medicare Part A Benefit. It is available to Medicare Part A recipients who meet the Hospice program's eligibility requirements. (The Hospice Medicaid Benefit, is currently available in 37 states, and is for those who meet the State medical and financial criteria).  The Hospice Medicare Benefit is an exclusive benefit elected by the patient or legal representative to provide for all of the necessary palliative care related to the terminal illness.
 
 
 
 
 
Medicare/Medcaid continued
 
This 16 page booklet, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, explains what Medicare covers for Hospice care. The booklet is in PDF format which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  • The hospice program and who is eligible
  • Your Medicare hospice program
  •  Where you can get more help
Prescription Drugs & Products: Please note, where it explains the family will have to cover no more then $5.00 for each prescription drug and other smiliar products that, typically, this co-pay will be picked up by your own health insurance prescription drug coverage or Medicaid.
 
Respite: Under Medicare you are to pay 5% of the Medicare payment amount for inpatient respite care at a approved Medicare hospital or nurshing home up to 5 days each time you get respite care.   Hospice will bill any private health insurance you may have for this 5% or, since Medicare approved Hospices are non-profit organizations they typically will not bill you for this service if you are unable to pay.
 
Period of Hospice Coverage:  It is important to note that Medicare is no longer showing the strict "6 month" rule.  This booklet explains that Medicare will cover Hospice for two 90-day periods followed by an unlimited number of 60-day periods provided the patients physician recertifies that you are terminally ill and your care needs to continue through another period of care.
Children
 
Improving End-of-Life Care for Children - A 4 page document from Partnership For Care in PDF format
 
Pediatric and End-of-Life Resource Directory: A list of web resources from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Precepts of Palliative Care for Children/Adolescents and Their Families - New guidelines set forth by Last Acts, a national program office of The Robert Wood Johnson
 
What we say about death to our children, or when we say it, will depend on their ages and experiences.
 
Most of us, at some point in our lives, will have to make some decisions about how to treat children concerning the death of a loved one, or a friend, or neighbor, or a pet. What guidelines can we use?
 
Considerations
 
Our last days are an opportunity to learn life's last and most powerful lesson: There is nothing to fear.
 
Considerations at Terminal Stage
Surviving Caregiving-these are notes from an online interview conducted with Stephanie Zeman. Hospice offers services to victims and caregivers that help them through the terminal stages of a disease whether the patient is kept at home or placed into a care facility.
 
FAQS & Other Services
 
A Checklist of Questions To Ask  Hospice-Involvement with a hospice service can be a choice that you plan for, or one that comes up suddenly. Regardless, it helps to know the right questions to ask when shopping for hospice care. Included here are some of the most important questions you should ask when interviewing a hospice service. Before you go to an interview, print this list of questions,  read over it, and identify the questions that are most important to you and your loved one. Take the sheet along with you, and jot down the answers during the interview.
 
Answers To Questions 
Hospice links to information on their Services, Patients, Caregivers, Bereavement

Care in the Nursing Home
The services of hospice care programs are provided wherever patients are spending their final days, whether in their own home, in a family member's home or in a nursing home. The hospice team helps patients live out their final days with dignity and with as much physical comfort as possible.  The members of the hospice team try to help nursing home patients to be as free of pain as possible.
 
HOSPICE HOUSES
While most hospice patients are cared for in their homes, Hospice also provides care to
patients at their inpatient facility, Hospice House in larger cities.Hospice House is specifically designed to provide care to patients who have symptoms that require a supervised setting or respite for the care giver.
You'll need to check with your local Hospice to determine if they have a Hospice House or similar service in your area.  To see an example of a Hospice House, click on
http://www.hospice-swf.org/houses.html

Improving Care for the Dying: The Role of Palliative Care in Nursing Homes - Questions to ask.

Debunking The Myths of Hospice in PDF format. Common myths or wrong assumptions make about Hospice, Hospice Care

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) About Hospice can help you decide if and when hospice care may be appropriate.
 
Frequently Asked Questions
Hospice Palm Beach list of FAQS
 
FAQS
 
 
There are a number of questions you might ask when deciding on a hospice program. Accreditation, Certification, Licenser, Consumer Information, References, Admissions, Plan of Care, Family Caregivers, Preliminary Evaluation, Personnel, Costs....and more.  Read about them on this Hospice site.
 
Hospice Links
 
American Cancer Society: Spend a few minutes exploring this site and you will find a wealth of excellent information on a wide variety of topics.
 
OncoLink is one of the most respected and comprehensive locations for information on all aspects of cancer. The site is operated by the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center.
 
Palliative Care Associations Worldwide-IAHPC's International Directory of Palliative Care Associations by country
 
Partnership for Caring advocates the rights of individuals to participate fully in decisions regarding their medical treatment at the end of life. Information is provided regarding the preparation and use of advanced directives on a state by state basis.
 
Pain.com contains over 1700 articles on pain management, a searchable database of pain specialists and pain clinics in the United States, and links to related resources on the Internet.