Hospice Services: What Does Hospice Include?

Learn what hospice services include and how compassionate hospice care supports patients and families through every stage of a life-limiting illness. From skilled nursing, pain and symptom management, hospice medications, and medical equipment to emotional, spiritual, and family support, discover how the interdisciplinary hospice team works together to provide comfort, dignity, and the highest possible quality of life during end-of-life care.

What Does Hospice Care Include?

When families first begin considering hospice, one of the most common questions is also one of the simplest: What does hospice care actually include?

The answer is often more comprehensive than people expect.

Hospice care includes medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical support for people living with a terminal illness and for the families caring for them. Depending on a patient’s individual needs and plan of care, hospice services may include nursing care, physician oversight, pain and symptom management, medications related to the terminal illness, medical equipment and supplies, hospice aide services, social work, spiritual care, caregiver support, and grief and bereavement services.

Rather than being a single service or an occasional nursing visit, hospice brings together an interdisciplinary team with one shared goal: helping the patient live as comfortably and meaningfully as possible while supporting the people who love and care for them.

Understanding what hospice provides, and what it does not provide, can make this unfamiliar type of care much easier for families to navigate.

What Services Does Hospice Care Include?

Hospice care is individualized. Two people receiving hospice may have very different needs, even if they have the same diagnosis.

The hospice team works with the patient, family caregivers, and healthcare providers to develop a plan of care based on the patient’s condition, symptoms, needs, goals, and wishes. That plan can change as the patient’s needs change.

Under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, covered hospice services may include physician services, nursing care, medical equipment and supplies, medications for pain and symptom management, hospice aide and homemaker services, certain therapies, medical social services, dietary and spiritual counseling, grief support, respite care, and short-term inpatient care for pain or symptom management.

Hospice nurse reviewing care information with a patient at home

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The Core Aspects of Hospice Care

Hospice care brings together medical, emotional, spiritual, and practical support based on each patient’s individual needs. Explore the sections below to learn more about the services that may be included in a hospice plan of care.

Nurses are an important part of the hospice team.

Hospice nurses assess the patient’s condition, help manage pain and other symptoms, administer or coordinate medications, educate family caregivers, communicate with physicians, and help families understand changes they may be seeing.

They also provide something that can be particularly valuable during an unfamiliar stage of illness: guidance.

A change in breathing, appetite, sleep, pain, or alertness can be frightening when a family doesn’t know what it means or what to do next. Having an experienced hospice team available to answer questions can provide both practical help and reassurance.

Hospice care includes physician involvement and medical oversight.

The hospice physician works with the interdisciplinary care team and, when applicable, the patient’s attending physician to develop and oversee care related to the terminal illness.

A patient does not necessarily have to say goodbye to a trusted doctor simply because hospice begins. Depending on the circumstances, a patient’s attending physician may remain involved while working alongside the hospice team.

One of the central goals of hospice is helping patients remain as comfortable as possible.

That means caring for more than pain alone. Depending on the patient’s illness and condition, the hospice team may help manage symptoms such as:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Anxiety or restlessness
  • Constipation
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Changes in appetite
  • Other symptoms related to the terminal illness

The goal isn’t simply to respond when a symptom becomes severe. Hospice care is designed around an individualized plan that anticipates needs and helps patients and families know what to do when conditions change. Like palliative care, hospice places a strong emphasis on relieving pain and managing symptoms to improve comfort and quality of life.

Hospice may provide medications needed for pain relief and symptom management when they are related to the patient’s terminal illness and related conditions.

This is an important distinction.

Electing hospice does not mean that every medication a person takes automatically becomes part of the hospice benefit. The hospice team reviews the patient’s medications and determines which are related to the terminal diagnosis and plan of care.

Patients may still receive Medicare-covered care for health problems that are unrelated to the terminal illness and related conditions.

If you’re ever unsure whether a medication is covered or should continue, ask the hospice team rather than making changes on your own.

Many families are surprised to learn that hospice can arrange medical equipment and supplies needed to manage the terminal illness and related conditions.

Depending on the patient’s needs, this could include items such as:

  • A hospital bed
  • Wheelchair or walker
  • Bedside commode
  • Oxygen equipment
  • Bandages and wound-care supplies
  • Catheters
  • Other medically necessary equipment or supplies related to the hospice plan of care

The specific equipment provided will depend on the individual patient. The hospice team helps determine what is appropriate and coordinates delivery when covered as part of the hospice benefit.

For families trying to care for someone at home, having the right equipment in place can make an enormous difference in comfort and safety.

Hospice aides provide hands-on personal care under the direction of the hospice team.

Depending on the plan of care, an aide may help with activities such as bathing, grooming, dressing, and other personal care needs.

Hospice homemaker services may also include limited household tasks necessary to maintain a safe and sanitary environment for the patient.

This is an area where understanding the limits of hospice is especially important. Hospice aide visits are based on the patient’s individualized plan of care. They should not be confused with full-time private-duty caregiving or around-the-clock assistance in the home.

We’ll come back to that distinction below because it’s one of the most common misunderstandings families have about hospice.

Serious illness creates challenges that aren’t purely medical.

Families may suddenly find themselves navigating difficult conversations, changing family roles, financial concerns, advance care planning, caregiving responsibilities, or uncertainty about what comes next.

Hospice social workers help patients and families navigate many of these emotional, psychosocial, and practical concerns. They can provide counseling, connect families with community resources, help with care planning, and serve as another source of support during difficult decisions.

For some patients, questions about meaning, faith, relationships, forgiveness, fear, or what comes next become especially important during a serious illness.

Hospice can provide spiritual counseling as part of its interdisciplinary approach to care.

Spiritual support should be centered on the patient’s beliefs, values, and preferences. A patient does not need to belong to a particular religion, or any religion at all, to receive hospice care.

The purpose is not to impose beliefs. It is to support the whole person.

Hospice care recognizes something families sometimes overlook: caregivers need care, too.

Caring for someone with a terminal illness can be physically exhausting and emotionally complicated. Family members may be managing medications, helping with personal care, watching for changes, losing sleep, and trying to make important decisions while processing their own emotions.

Hospice teams can teach caregivers what to expect, demonstrate care techniques, answer questions, help them recognize changes in the patient’s condition, and provide emotional support throughout the experience.

That education can make an unfamiliar situation feel more manageable.

Even the most devoted caregiver needs rest.

Under the Medicare Hospice Benefit, short-term inpatient respite care may be available on an occasional basis when a patient’s usual caregiver needs relief. The hospice arranges for the patient to receive care temporarily in an approved facility, allowing the caregiver time to rest and recharge.

Needing a break does not mean someone is failing as a caregiver. Caring for another person around the clock can be demanding, and respite is one of the ways hospice can support the family as well as the patient.

Although many people receive hospice where they live, there are situations when pain or other symptoms become difficult to manage in the current setting.

When medically appropriate, hospice may arrange short-term inpatient care for pain control or acute symptom management.

The goal is to manage the symptoms and, when possible, allow the patient to return to their usual care setting once those symptoms are under control.

Hospice support doesn’t necessarily end when a patient dies.

Grief and loss counseling are part of the Medicare hospice benefit, and hospice programs provide bereavement support to families following a loss.

Grief looks different for everyone. Some people benefit from individual support, others from groups or educational resources, and some simply appreciate knowing someone is available if they need help.

This continuation of support reflects an important principle of hospice: care extends to the family as well as the patient.

How Hospice Services Work Together

Hospice care is more than a collection of individual services. Each member of the hospice team works within an individualized plan of care, communicating and coordinating support as a patient’s condition, symptoms, and needs change. This interdisciplinary approach brings medical care, symptom management, personal assistance, emotional support, spiritual care, and family support together around shared goals of comfort, dignity, and quality of life.

The services below show how the different parts of hospice care come together to support both patients and their families throughout the hospice journey.

  • Skilled Nursing – Experienced hospice nurses provide regular visits to assess your condition, manage pain and symptoms, administer medications when appropriate, coordinate care, and educate family caregivers. Skilled nursing helps improve comfort and quality of life throughout the hospice journey.
  • Hospice Aides – Hospice aides provide compassionate personal care to help patients maintain comfort, dignity, and cleanliness. Assistance may include bathing, dressing, grooming, oral care, and other daily activities, while offering families additional support during the hospice journey.
  • Hospice Medications – Hospice covers medications related to the terminal diagnosis and symptom management whenever appropriate. These medications help relieve pain, control symptoms, and improve comfort, allowing patients to focus on spending time with the people they love.
  • Volunteer Services – Specially trained hospice volunteers offer companionship, caregiver relief, emotional support, and assistance with non-medical needs. Their presence provides comfort for patients while giving family caregivers valuable time to rest, recharge, or attend to personal responsibilities.
  • Pain & Symptom Management – Effective pain and symptom management is at the heart of hospice care. Your hospice team works closely with your physician to relieve pain, shortness of breath, nausea, anxiety, fatigue, and other symptoms, allowing patients to remain as comfortable and independent as possible.
  • Medical Social Workers – Hospice social workers provide emotional support, counseling, care coordination, and access to community resources. They help patients and families navigate difficult decisions, address practical concerns, and connect with services that ease emotional and financial stress.
  • Durable Medical Equipment – Hospice provides medically necessary equipment to help patients remain safe and comfortable at home. Depending on individual needs, this may include hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen equipment, bedside commodes, and other supportive medical devices.
  • Bereavement Support – Hospice care continues even after a loved one’s passing through bereavement services for family members. Grief counseling, educational resources, support groups, and compassionate follow-up help families navigate the grieving process and find healing.
  • Hospice Physician Services – Hospice physicians work alongside your attending physician and the interdisciplinary hospice team to oversee your plan of care. They help manage complex symptoms, review medications, and ensure every patient receives compassionate, individualized hospice care based on their changing needs.
  • Spiritual Care & Chaplain Services – Hospice chaplains provide spiritual care based on each patient’s beliefs, values, and preferences. Whether through prayer, conversation, emotional support, or simply being present, chaplains help patients and families find comfort, peace, and meaning throughout the hospice experience.
  • Medical Supplies – Hospice also provides medical supplies needed to manage a patient’s condition and maintain comfort. Items such as wound care supplies, gloves, dressings, catheters, and incontinence products are coordinated by the hospice team as part of the patient’s care plan.
  • 24/7 On-Call Clinical Support – Questions and medical concerns don’t follow a schedule. Hospice provides 24/7 access to experienced nurses and clinical professionals who are available to answer questions, provide guidance, and respond when urgent needs arise.

Learn More About Eternal Faith Hospice

Discover how Eternal Faith Hospice supports patients and families with compassionate care, symptom management, emotional support, and trusted guidance. Download our brochure to learn more about hospice care and the services available to families throughout Georgia.

Meet Your Hospice Care Team

Hospice care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals who work together to create a personalized plan of care for every patient. Each team member brings specialized expertise, ensuring patients receive compassionate physical, emotional, spiritual, and practical support throughout their hospice journey.

Hospice Nurse

Provides regular visits to assess the patient’s condition, manage pain and symptoms, coordinate care, and educate family caregivers.

Hospice Physician

Works with the hospice team to oversee the plan of care, manage symptoms, and ensure treatment aligns with the patient’s goals and needs.

Volunteer

Provides companionship, caregiver relief, and meaningful social interaction to help patients and families feel supported throughout the hospice journey.

Hospice Aide

Assists with personal care, including bathing, dressing, grooming, and other daily activities that help maintain comfort and dignity.

Medical Social Worker

Provides emotional support, counseling, care coordination, and guidance on community resources, advance care planning, and family needs.

Chaplain

Offers spiritual and emotional support that respects each patient’s beliefs, values, and traditions, whether religious or non-religious.

Every hospice care plan is personalized to meet the unique needs of each patient and family. By combining compassionate professionals, specialized hospice services, and coordinated support, the hospice team helps manage symptoms, improve comfort, and provide peace of mind throughout every stage of the journey.

If you have questions about hospice care or would like to learn how our compassionate team can support your loved one, we’re here to help.

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What Hospice Care Doesn’t Cover

While hospice provides a wide range of medical, emotional, and supportive services, it’s equally important to understand what hospice care does not include. Hospice focuses on comfort rather than curative treatment for a terminal illness, so some services that are unrelated to the hospice diagnosis or intended to cure the illness may not be covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit or other hospice insurance benefits.

Knowing what hospice doesn’t provide can be just as important as understanding what it does.

Hospice care professional discussing care and coverage with an older patient

Hospice generally does not include:

  • Permanent 24-hour caregiving in the home
  • A replacement for all assistance with activities of daily living
  • Room and board in a long-term residential setting
  • Curative treatment for the terminal illness under the Medicare hospice election
  • Automatic coverage for every medication, treatment, or piece of medical equipment regardless of whether it relates to the terminal illness and plan of care

Families should never hesitate to ask: “Is this included in hospice, and if not, who is responsible for providing it?”

Don’t worry—we’re here to guide you every step of the way.

Does Hospice Provide 24-Hour Care at Home?

This is one of the most important questions families can ask.

Hospice does not ordinarily provide a caregiver who remains in the patient’s home 24 hours a day. Routine hospice care includes scheduled visits based on the patient’s individualized needs and plan of care, along with access to hospice support when concerns arise.

Medicare does recognize a level of hospice called continuous home care that can provide extended nursing and aide services during a period of crisis when specific requirements are met. However, continuous home care is intended for short-term management of acute symptoms. It is not the same thing as permanent 24-hour custodial caregiving.

Understanding this distinction can help families know what to expect from hospice care and make informed decisions about the additional support their loved one may need.

Hospice nurse providing compassionate support to a senior man

We’re Here When You’re Ready.

Whether you’re exploring hospice care for yourself or a loved one, our compassionate team is available to answer your questions and help you understand your options.

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Can Hospice and In-Home Care Work Together?

Yes, and for some families the two can complement each other very well. Hospice addresses the patient’s terminal illness and provides the medical, emotional, spiritual, and supportive services outlined in the hospice plan of care.

Private-duty in-home care serves a different purpose. Depending on the provider and level of service, in-home caregivers may provide longer periods of assistance with personal care, meal preparation, companionship, mobility, supervision, and everyday activities.

For example, a hospice nurse may visit to assess symptoms and manage the clinical plan of care, while a private caregiver may spend several hours helping the patient with everyday needs and providing companionship. The two services are not interchangeable. This distinction can be particularly important for someone who wants to remain at home but whose family cannot safely provide all of the day-to-day assistance needed between hospice visits.

You Don’t Have to Navigate Hospice Alone

Whether you’re wondering what hospice includes, when it’s time to consider hospice, or how hospice services work, our compassionate team is here to answer your questions and guide you every step of the way.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Hospice Services

Hospice services are designed to provide comprehensive support for patients with a life-limiting illness and their families. Hospice care typically includes skilled nursing, pain and symptom management, physician oversight, hospice aides, medical social workers, spiritual care, hospice medications related to the terminal diagnosis, durable medical equipment, medical supplies, volunteer services, bereavement support, and 24/7 on-call clinical assistance. Every hospice care plan is personalized to meet the unique needs of each patient.

Hospice care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals working together to support the patient and family. The hospice team often includes registered nurses, hospice physicians, hospice aides, medical social workers, chaplains, trained volunteers, and other specialists who collaborate to create and adjust an individualized plan of care.

Yes. Hospice services are commonly provided wherever a patient calls home, including a private residence, assisted living community, memory care community, or skilled nursing facility. The hospice team travels to the patient, allowing individuals to receive compassionate care in a familiar and comfortable environment whenever possible.

Hospice care is designed for individuals with a life-limiting illness who have chosen to focus on comfort, symptom management, and quality of life rather than curative treatment. Hospice provides an interdisciplinary team that may include nurses, physicians, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, medications related to the terminal diagnosis, medical equipment, and emotional support for both patients and families.

Home health care is intended to help patients recover from an illness, injury, or surgery or manage a medical condition while continuing curative treatment. Skilled nursing, therapy services, and rehabilitation are typically provided with the goal of improving health and independence.

In-home care, also called private duty care or personal care, focuses on assistance with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, companionship, transportation, and light housekeeping. Unlike hospice or home health, in-home care generally does not provide skilled medical treatment.

If you’re unsure which type of care is right for your loved one, our team can help explain the differences and guide you toward the most appropriate option.

Yes. Medicare Part A includes a comprehensive hospice benefit for eligible patients. In most cases, Medicare covers hospice nursing care, physician services, hospice medications related to the terminal diagnosis, durable medical equipment, medical supplies, hospice aide services, counseling, spiritual care, and bereavement support. Your hospice provider can explain your specific coverage and answer any questions about hospice benefits.

Hospice visits are based on each patient’s individual needs rather than a fixed schedule. Nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, and other members of the hospice team visit as needed to provide care, monitor symptoms, and support both the patient and family. As a patient’s condition changes, the frequency of hospice visits may also increase.

Hospice provides access to support around the clock, but that does not ordinarily mean a nurse remains in the home 24 hours a day. Extended continuous home care may be provided during qualifying periods of crisis when specific requirements are met.

Yes. Hospice and private-duty in-home care serve different purposes and may be used together when appropriate. Families are generally responsible for arranging and paying for private-duty care unless another benefit or insurance program provides coverage.

Hospice provides medications for pain and symptom management related to the terminal illness and related conditions when included in the patient’s plan of care. Other medications may be handled differently depending on why they are prescribed.

A patient may choose an attending physician who can continue to participate in care alongside the hospice team. Families should discuss how physician responsibilities will be coordinated when hospice begins.

Yes. Hospice may provide medically necessary equipment and supplies related to the terminal illness and included in the patient’s plan of care. Depending on the patient’s individual needs, this may include oxygen equipment, wheelchairs, walkers, bedside commodes, wound care supplies, and other items that support comfort and safety.

Hospice may provide a hospital bed and other durable medical equipment when the equipment is medically necessary for managing the patient’s terminal illness and related conditions and is included in the hospice plan of care.

Absolutely. Family members remain an important part of the hospice care team. Hospice professionals provide education, guidance, and support while helping family caregivers feel confident caring for their loved one. The hospice team works alongside families to ensure patients receive compassionate, coordinated care throughout their hospice journey.

Hospice support doesn’t end after normal business hours. Most hospice providers offer 24/7 on-call clinical support, giving patients and families access to experienced nurses who can answer questions, provide guidance, and respond to urgent symptom management needs at any time, including nights, weekends, and holidays.

Hospice care is designed to adapt as a patient’s condition changes. The hospice team regularly evaluates symptoms, comfort, medications, and overall needs to adjust the plan of care when necessary. Additional visits, equipment, medications, or supportive services can often be arranged to help maintain comfort and quality of life.

Hospice isn’t necessarily permanent. A patient whose condition improves or stabilizes to the point that they no longer meet hospice eligibility requirements may be discharged from hospice. If the person’s condition later declines and eligibility requirements are again met, hospice care may be elected again.

No. Medicare hospice eligibility is based on a prognosis of six months or less if the terminal illness follows its normal course, not a requirement that death be expected within days. Eligible patients may receive hospice for months, and some continue beyond six months when they remain eligible and are properly recertified.

Getting started is easier than many families expect. You can contact Eternal Faith Hospice directly to ask questions, request a no-obligation consultation, or learn more about available hospice services. Our compassionate team will explain the process, coordinate with your physician when needed, and help determine the most appropriate next steps for your loved one.

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Still Have Questions About Hospice Services?

Choosing hospice is an important decision, and you don’t have to make it alone. Whether you have questions about hospice services, coverage, or what to expect, our compassionate team is here to provide clear answers, personalized guidance, and support every step of the way.

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