When to Consider Hospice Care
Knowing when to consider hospice can feel overwhelming — you don’t have to face it alone. Hospice focuses on comfort, dignity, and quality of life, helping patients feel supported physically and emotionally.
Our care is provided wherever your loved one calls home, allowing them to remain surrounded by familiar people and routines for greater peace and safety.
Is it Time for Hospice?
60 Seconds Check List
☐ Frequent Hospital / ER visits
☐ Unintentional Weight Loss
☐ Increased Weakness
☐ Sleeping Most of the Day
☐ Confusion
☐ Declining Mobility
☐ Increased Pain
☐ Increasing Shortness of Breath
☐ Caregiver Exhaustion
☐ Loss of Appetite, difficulty eating
☐ Skin Breakdown
☐ Recurrence of Multiple Infections
☐ Declining ability to walk, bathe, or care for themselves
☐ Increased confusion or changes in mental status
☐ No longer desire aggressive intervention
☐ A desire to remain comfortable at home
Frequent hospital visits, emergency room trips, and medical crises can become common near the end of life. These experiences can be exhausting and stressful for both patients and families. Hospice helps patients remain in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by familiar people and routines. This approach promotes safety, peace, and a better overall quality of life.
Common Hospice Diagnoses
Below are some of the most common conditions served by hospice, along with signs that additional support may be needed. If you recognize these changes in your loved one, our team is here to help guide you.
Cancer
What to Watch For:
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Treatment no longer effective
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Increasing pain or discomfort
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Fatigue and sleeping most of the day
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Loss of appetite and weight loss
Heart Disease
What to Watch For:
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Shortness of breath, even at rest
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Swelling in legs, feet, or abdomen
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Extreme fatigue
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Chest discomfort
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Repeated hospitalizations
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Difficulty performing daily activities
CHF / COPD
What to Watch For:
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Oxygen dependence
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Repeated Hospitalizations or ER visits
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Severe shortness of breath
Stroke/Neurologic
What to Watch For:
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Loss of Function
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Recurrent infection
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Feeding issues
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Declining strength and mobility
General Decline
What to Watch For:
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Repeated hospitalizations
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Difficulty performing daily activities
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Rapid Decline
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Frailty
Dementia / Alzheimer’s
What to Watch For:
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Limited or no verbal communication
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Difficulty swallowing or eating
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Frequent infections
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Weight loss
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Inability to walk or sit independently
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Increased confusion or agitation