Hospice Care in Illinois

About Hospice Care

Hospice care is medical support for those who are nearing the end of life. Patients whose life expectancy is 6 months or less begin treatment that is focused on comfort and symptom management. The types of hospice care are routine home care, continuous home care, general inpatient care, and respite.

Routine Home Care - This is the most common level of care in hospice and involves scheduled, routine visits in the patient's home by a multidisciplinary care team, which may include a hospice physician, registered nurses, social workers, and other healthcare professionals. The focus of routine home care is on providing comfort, symptom management, emotional support, and spiritual counseling to the patient and their family in the familiar setting of their home.

Continuous Home Care - Continuous home care (CHC) is one of the four levels of hospice care in the Medicare Hospice Benefit. It entails providing continuous nursing care at home for patients whose symptoms require frequent monitoring and management to maintain comfort. This level of care is typically required by Medicare hospice regulations to address acute symptom crises.

General Inpatient Care - This level of hospice care is intended for patients who experience crisis-like situations that cannot be managed at home. General inpatient care provides short-term, round-the-clock medical attention in a specialized facility to address acute symptoms that are difficult to control in a home setting. It focuses on intensive symptom management and comfort care during a period of crisis.

Respite Care - Respite care offers short-term relief to caregivers by admitting the patient to a facility for a limited period. This temporary placement allows caregivers to take a break from their caregiving responsibilities while ensuring that the patient's needs are met by trained professionals. Respite care can prevent caregiver burnout and provide a restorative break for family members.