Why Hospice?

How Hospice Works

Individuals are referred to hospice by their personal physician, family, friends, clergy, or themselves. You don’t have to wait until your physician brings up hospice. You can take the initiative by beginning the discussion with your doctor, or you can request an evaluation directly from a hospice program at any time. If you would like more information to help you decide, you can call Hospice of the Foothills to begin the conversation.

Getting Started

A hospice registered nurse evaluates what each person and family needs and develops a plan of care. The plan addresses the entire family’s needs: medical, emotional, psychological, spiritual and support services. The nurse then coordinates the care with Hospice of the Foothills’ medical director, your personal physician and the full interdisciplinary team of health professionals. Under the direction of a physician, hospice provides an all-inclusive set of services needed to manage all of a person’s symptoms and complications.

Can I Change My Mind?

A person may elect to end their hospice care at any time and then may receive hospice care again, if desired, at a later date. For example, an individual can leave hospice to try a new curative treatment and return to hospice, if they still meet the program criteria of a six month life expectancy.