Hospice care is always available, seven days a week, twenty four hours a day. There is always a nurse on call at night and on weekends. The nurse will visit a patient as long and as often as necessary to ensure quality senior care. Because of this wonderful service, many people are under the impression that hospice care is expensive, and believe they cannot afford such treatment. However Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance companies cover hospice services and care. This would include, but is not limited to, medications, medical supplies, nursing care, home health aides and social services. Back at 1983, the Congress have established the Medicare Hospice Benefit, covered under Medicare Part A, to ensure that all beneficiaries could receive high-quality end-of-life care. In order to receive the Medicare Hospice Benefit, the patient must meet three key criteria.

First, the patient’s doctor must certify, in his or her best clinical judgment, that the patient is terminally ill with a life expectancy of six months or less. If the patient lives longer than six months, she or he can then continue to receive hospice care as long as the doctor re-certifies that the patient is terminal and with declining health. The second key criterion is that the patient is willing to receive comfort care instead of curative treatments for their illness. For example, a patient could not be getting chemotherapy to cure their illness and be getting hospice care simultaneously. Hospice is intended be used once curative treatment is no longer an option. Finally, the patient needs to enroll in a Medicare-approved hospice program. This should be one of the first questions you should ask in determining which hospice agency to use. More than 90% of hospices in the United States are certified by Medicare.

CCRCs are known as living communities for seniors. Most have three levels of residence: independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing. Take note that each level of care that the resident might require. The primary concept behind a CCRC is that it offers a wider spectrum of care, so that once an old person moves into the community, he or she will be able to receive the appropriate care as his or her needs change.