Hospice Care

1. Hospice is a philosophy of care.
2. Hospice is a holistic approach using nurses, doctors, spiritual help, social services, other skills, and volunteers.
3. Skilled nursing is not always essential.
4. In-patient respite care is available.
5. Bereavement counseling is provided.
6. A written bereavement care plan for the entire family is required.   Family followed in bereavement up to fifteen months.
7. Care continues if patient lives longer than six months after electing hospice care.
8. Nursing, physician, pharmacy, social worker, and chaplain services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
9. Patient, family, and other primary care givers receive hospice services.
10. All patients are terminally ill.
11. Hospice nurses specialize in pain and symptom management.
12. Hospice care deals primarily with the dying process.
13. The objective of hospice is comfort, not cure.
14. Heavy emphasis on emotional support for both patient and family.

Home Health Care

1. Home health care is basically a way of delivering nursing care.
2. Primarily nursing care; other therapies as necessary.
3. Skilled nursing is the primary service provided.
4. Respite care not available.
5. No bereavement counseling.
6. No bereavement care plan is required.
7. Family is not followed after death of the patient. Patient is discharged when skilled care is no longer required.
8. Only nursing services are available 24 hours.
9. Care is client oriented.
10. Patients are not necessarily terminally ill.
11. Nurses utilize many skills.
12. Home care deals with a wide range of diagnoses.
13. The objective of home care is cure and rehabilitation.
14. Emphasis on physical care of the patient.