Pallatus Hospice Care

Pallatus ensures a full encompassing support system to care for patients with life-limiting illness.

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Hospice Care Myths and Facts

Is hospice really a place sick people go and never come back? Once someone goes into hospice, does that mean the family never gets to see him or her again? Isn’t hospice some sort of religious practice?

The answers to these hospice myths are no, no and no. These are the facts:

Some hospitals have hospice beds; however, the intention of hospice is to deliver hospice services to the patient wherever he/she calls home.

Loved ones and relatives are not kept from participating in caring for the hospice patient. In fact, they’re a part of the team. Every patient has an interdisciplinary team that starts with the patient and family: patient, family caregiver, physician, nurse, social worker, chaplain, hospice aid, bereavement specialist, and volunteer. A plan of care is created that family and loved ones carry out at home to the extent they are willing and able.

Hospice is not a last resort. When medical treatments can no longer cure a disease, hospice professionals can do many things to control pain, reduce anxiety, offer spiritual and emotional support, and improve quality of life for terminally ill people and their families.

Hospice has no religious affiliation. Hospice provides chaplains and other spiritual counselors from all faiths and no faith. They respect all cultures and points of view and are there to lend support and discuss the patient’s and the family’s feelings.

Hospice is not just for cancer patients. Certainly cancer patients make up a large number of hospice patients. However, anyone who has a terminal illness, whether it’s heart disease, COPD, liver disease, kidney failure, stroke, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, AIDS or any life-limiting condition, is eligible for hospice care.

Hospice care is not expensive. Hospice is usually less expensive than conventional care during the last six months of life. Hospice is an all-inclusive benefit covered by Medicare, Medicaid, Medi-Cal and most private insurance companies. Under Medicare there are no co-pays for physician visits, nursing care, medications, hospice equipment or medical supplies related to the patient’s primary illness.

The patient’s personal doctor is not excluded. A patient’s personal physician can choose to be part of the hospice care team. Hospice doctors have extensive training in end-of-life care and will work closely with a patient’s personal physician to ensure the patient is as comfortable as possible.

Hospice is not the same as euthanasia. Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, and hospice neither prolongs life nor hastens death. The goal of hospice is to provide pain control, symptom management and spiritual and emotional support to help seriously ill people live in comfort and dignity until they die. Euthanasia (youth-en-asia) is purposeful mercy killing to end suffering. It is not provided by hospice.

How do we help?

Our expertly trained staff works around the clock with family caregivers and clinicians in assisting through this transitionary process. In addition to hospice care, Pallatus Health also provides palliative care to ease the pain for the patient and alleviate ongoing symptoms.

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Pallatus Health is available throughout California, including major cities such as Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Bakersfield, San Diego, San Jose, Fresno, Madera, San Francisco, and Sacramento.

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