Hospice care focuses on symptom management and emotional support for patients who are expected to live six months or less. With hospice care in Macon, GA, the focus is caring for the patient and their family. Most hospice care requires active participation in caregiving by a family member or friend. They are supported by an interdisciplinary team of medical professionals.
Thankfully, for many, hospice care in Macon, GA is covered through Medicare hospice benefits or their personal health insurance plan. Hospice staff are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They can provide assistance by phone, and if a situation cannot be handled over the phone, it is common for medical professionals to make in-person visits to the patients.
Although hospice care is intended for patients expected to live six months or less, hospice services do not stop if a person lives longer than six months. Hospice services will stop if a patient’s condition improves beyond a short amount of time so that their life expectancy is greater than six months. This is what hospice refers to as a discharge.
Part of caring for the family is the grief support that hospice provides. They offer bereavement services to grieving families, supporting them via one-on-one counseling, periodic phone calls, group sessions, and more.
Learn more about what hospice care means for the patient and their family, and see how the team at Hospice Care Options is caring for patients by providing end-of-life and palliative care services throughout Georgia.