What is hospice?

Hospice is a way of care focused on comfort, dignity, and a better quality of life for persons faced with a life-limiting illness and for their families. It is a whole-person, individualized approach to care, in which a diverse team of professionals provides skilled medical care, pain and symptom management, and emotional and spiritual support to meet the unique needs of each patient.

At Legend Hospice and Palliative Care, we create an unique plan of care based on the individual goals of the patient and family along with our diverse team of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, counselors and aides.

Who is hospice for?

Hospice provides care for people suffering from serious and chronic illness, such as cancer, congestive heart failure, COPD, kidney failure, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other life-limiting diagnoses that meet hospice criteria.​ Persons who are experiencing a serious multi-symptom decline, frequent emergency room visits and/or hospitalizations, or discontinuing aggressive treatment may also be eligible for hospice care.

​Eligibility for hospice services must be certified by a physician. Legend Hospice works closely with each patient’s physician in developing an individualized hospice care plan.

Benefits to patients

The goal of Legend Hospice and Palliative Care is to enable our patients to live as comfortably and with as much dignity as possible. Our services are designed to treat the whole person – from their physical and emotional needs to help with the activities of daily living. These include:

• Pain Management
• Control of symptoms related to the illness, such as nausea, anxiety, fatigue or shortness of breath
• Personal care; bathing, grooming, toileting and dressing
• Re-positioning and transfers
• Assistance with activities of daily living; laundry, light housekeeping, light meal preparation
• Medications related to the hospice diagnosis
• Durable medical equipment
• Emotional support
• Assistance with end-of-life decisions such as advance directives, do-not-resuscitate orders or funeral planning
• Physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy

Benefits to families

A life-limiting illness affects the entire family and not just one patient. Families and caregivers face physical and emotional challenges to their own health, including depression and a higher rate of mortality among surviving spouses. They may feel helpless, alone, and overwhelmed.

Legend recognizes that families and caregivers need care too. Through education and support, hospice enables families to face their situation with confidence and encourages them to take an active role along with the patient in decision-making. We provide:

• Nurse on call 24/7 to answer questions and offer support
• Caregiver education
• Respite care
• Help with daily household responsibilities
• Assistance with end-of-life decisions, such as advance directives, do-not-resuscitate orders or funeral planning
• Emotional and spiritual support
• Bereavement counseling

Who pays for hospice care?

We are certified to bill Medicare and Medicaid for 100% of allowable charges. These include the following items related to hospice diagnosis:

• Medications
• Durable medical equipment
• Supplies
• Respite care
• Inpatient care

Most private insurance or managed care plans also offer hospice coverage, usually with no out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, or co-pays.