Schneck Hospice Services

Schneck Medical Center Hospice provides:

• Free nursing evaluation
• Skilled nursing care (infusion therapy, pain management, symptom management, case management)
• 24 hour on-call nursing support
• Hospice Aides (bathing, personal care)
• Therapy services (physical, occupational, and speech therapy)
• Individual and family counseling (short-term individual and family support with a focus on assessment and referral if needed)
• Social work services (home needs assessment, community referrals, assistance with funeral planning, and psychosocial plan of care)
• Pastoral and spiritual care
• Volunteer support (companionship, respite for caregiver)
• Bereavement support for loved ones (Memorial services, resources, support groups/Grief Share)
• Pharmacy support
  

Schneck Hospice services are available to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Medicare and most private insurance policies reimburse services. Patients who choose the Hospice Medicare Benefit will have all needs relative to the terminal illness covered with no deductibles or co-insurance participation. The attending physician continues to bill as usual.
 

Who is eligible for Medicare Hospice Benefits?

Hospice care is covered under Medicare Part A (hospital insurance).

Learn more at the Medicare benefits here.

What is not covered?
 

Treatment to cure your terminal illness is not a covered service. As a hospice patient, you will receive comfort care to help you cope with your illness, not cure it. Comfort care includes medications for symptom control and pain relief, physical care, counseling and other hospice services. Hospice uses medicine, equipment, and supplies to make you as comfortable and pain-free as possible. You should talk to your doctor if you are thinking about potential treatment to cure your illness. As a hospice patient, you will always have the right to stop hospice care and go back to your regular doctor or health plan.
 

Can I keep my Medicare health plan?

Yes. You should use your Medicare health plan to get care for any health problems that are not related to your terminal illness. You may be able to get this care from your primary care physician or from the hospice doctor. When you use your Medicare health plan, you must pay the deductible and coinsurance amounts (if you have the original Medicare plan), or the co-payment deductibles per your plan. For more information about Medicare health plans, including deductibles, coinsurance, and co-payments, look in your Medicare & You handbook. If you do not have the Medicare handbook, you can get a free copy by calling (800) 633-4227 (800) MEDICARE.

Your doctor and Schneck hospice will work with you and your family to set up a plan of care that meets your needs. The plan of care includes the hospice services you need that are covered by Medicare. 

The care that Schneck hospice gives you is meant to help you retain quality of life by giving you comfort and relief from pain. The focus is on care, not cure.

You can receive hospice care as long as your doctor certifies that you are terminally ill and probably have less than six months to live. Even if you live longer than six months, you can receive hospice care as long as your doctor recertifies that you are terminally ill.

Referrals and questions about Schneck Hospice may be made by contacting the Hospice Care Coordinator. A physician referral is required.

People are often afraid of Hospice because it is closely connect to the idea of death, which can bring up fear, uncertainty and grief.  But many of these fears come from misunderstandings.  

• Fear of the unknown

  • Many don't understand what Hospice is or what it offers.

  • They fear being alone, in pain, or not cared for - when Hospice ensures the opposite.

• Concern about timing

  • Some think Hospice is only for the very last days, so they wait too long.

  • Hospice can help for months, offering support much earlier than people realize.

  • Those who receive the most significant benefit from Hospice are those who choose early in the terminal disease process.

  • Not sure when to start? Hospice will provide a no-charge consultation if the patient is unsure or has questions.

• Emotional Readiness

  • Patients and families may not feel emotionally ready to talk about dying.

  • Hospice brings those conversations into the open - but in a caring, gentle way.

  • At any time during hospice care a patient may withdraw or return to traditional treatment methods - it is always an option.

• Cultural or Spiritual Beliefs

  • In some cultures talking about death is taboo, or there is a belief that accepting death shortens life.

  • Hospice teams are trained to respect and work with diverse values and beliefs.