How Long Is Hospice Care at Home?

Hospice care at home typically lasts no more than six months. However, health care providers and insurance companies may make accommodations if the client needs care beyond this timeframe. This type of care is suitable for those experiencing a serious illness such as cancer or heart failure, and it can significantly improve their quality of life.

Hospice features an individualized approach to end-of-life care for those experiencing terminal health conditions. In many cases, this type of care lets individuals spend their remaining time in the comfort and familiarity of their homes instead of in an institutional setting. Rather than providing curative care, it focuses on optimizing the patient’s comfort and quality of life. Benefits include:

 

• Multidisciplinary hospice team that provides medical, practical and emotional support
• In-home visits that eliminate the need for traveling to medical facilities
• Medication coverage that provides access to drug therapy for pain management
• Medical equipment, such as mobility aids and hospital beds
• Multiple levels of care to help manage symptoms as the condition progresses
• Bereavement support for surviving family members

Hospice generally lasts six months or less. Once an individual enters this type of care, Medicare requires that they cease taking medications and pursuing treatments to cure or control their illness. For example, this may mean stopping chemotherapy for cancer. However, they may continue taking other medications to control conditions not related to their terminal illness, such as drug therapy for high cholesterol.

Despite its benefits, many people wait until their final weeks or even days of life before they begin hospice care. However, starting hospice care earlier can give the individual access to months of customized support focused on quality of life and time with loved ones. Before delaying hospice care, individuals should talk to their doctor about their illness and expected prognosis and determine whether they should continue pursuing curative treatment.

While Medicare sets a six-month timeline for hospice care, and many other health insurance providers follow suit, patients sometimes live longer than six months on hospice care. Some people do so well with this type of care that they live beyond their doctor’s expectations, even in the absence of curative treatment. Fortunately, hospice care can extend beyond six months, depending on the hospice doctor’s ongoing assessments. If the individual’s condition improves, they may be discharged from hospice care and transition to palliative care.