Who qualifies for Hospice care?  Hospice care is for any person who has a life-threatening or terminal illness, who is not seeking curative treatment, and would not be expected to live longer than 6 months if the illness runs its normal course.  Hospice of South Georgia serves patients of all ages – from infants to 100 years and older.  We are the only area Hospice provider with a certified pediatric nurse on staff.  Hospice cares for the family as well, understanding the various needs and kinds of support families benefit from during the end-of-life process.

Isn’t Hospice care only for people with cancer?  In the earlier days of Hospice, the majority of patients served had cancer. Now, fewer than half of patients cared for by Hospice of South Georgia have cancer. This is because people have come to recognize the benefits of Hospice care for patients and families dealing with many other diagnoses, such as the end-stages of chronic diseases like cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, and neuromuscular illnesses. Alzheimer’s, advanced dementia, HIV/AIDS patients, and many others, can also qualify for Hospice care.
   
What happens if the patient lives longer than 6 months?  As long as a patient continues to meet medical criteria for hospice care, they will continue to be able to receive care from Hospice of South Georgia. The goal of Hospice care is to allow a person to live to the fullest throughout the remainder of their life. With pain and symptom management, comfort and support from family and Hospice caregivers, and reduced anxiety, many patients can experience a more gradual decline and thus enjoy a greater quality of life. In fact, the most common “complaint” we hear from patients and families is: “We wish Hospice care had started sooner.” The longer Hospice of South Georgia can provide services, the more the patient and family can benefit.

How can I afford Hospice care?  The financial burden of caring for a terminally ill patient can be overwhelming. However, Hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance companies. The patient and family have little or no out of pocket expenses related to the Hospice diagnosis.
Even if a patient has no means to pay for their care, Hospice of South Georgia will never deny services to anyone.