Council on Aging Answers 2016 - 31

Demystifying Palliative Care
COUNCIL ON AGING - ORANGE COUNTY

n Lee-Anne Godfrey, BSN, RN

QUESTION
Who can receive this care?

Lee-Anne Godfrey is the Community Education and
Development Specialist for CareCHOICES Hospice and
Palliative Services

PALLIATIVE CARE
Anyone with a serious illness,
regardless of life expectancy

HOSPICE CARE
Someone with an illness with life expectancy
of six months or less if illness takes its expected
course
Can I continue to receive
You may receive palliative care
Treatments and medications are aimed at
treatments to cure my illness?
and curative care at the same time relieving symptoms. Focused on comfort,
hospice usually occurs after aggressive or
curative treatment(s)
Does Medicare or Medi-Cal pay? Some treatments and
Medicare and Medi-Cal pay all charges related
medications may be covered
to hospice
Does private insurance pay?
Some treatments and
Most insurance plans (most often Medicare)
medications may be covered but have a hospice care benefit
there is not usually a "package"
benefit for palliative care. The
services are flexible and based on
needs of the patient.
How long can I receive care?
This depends on your care needs As long as patient meets hospice criteria to be
and coverage available through
on service then patient can continue to receive
your insurance provider
care (i.e. prognosis of 6 months or less)
What organization(s) provides Hospitals
Community Hospice organizations (inpatient
these services?
Hospices
or outpatient)
Nursing Facilities
Health Care Clinics
Where are services provided?
Home
Wherever patient resides (e.g. private home,
Assisted Living Facility
assisted living facility, nursing facility).
Nursing Facility
Some hospices have inpatient facilities
Hospital
Who provides the services?
Usually a team of doctors, nurses, Hospice Team - physician, nurse, social worker,
social workers and chaplains
chaplain, volunteer, home health aide, and
others as needed.
Content from www.caringinfo.org (What is Palliative Care? Brochure)
Council On Aging-Orange County | 714-479-0107 | www.coaoc.org	 Answers Guide 2016

31

HEALTHCARE

There is a lot of conversation about Palliative Care
(pronounced Pah-lee-uh-tive) these days. How does it
differ from Hospice Care?
Palliative Care is specialized medical care for people
with serious illness, regardless of age, diagnosis or
life expectancy. Hospice Care and Palliative Care are
similar in that both are important in the support and
care of someone with serious illness. The table below
highlights the similarities and differences between both.
The first step in determining if Palliative Care is right
for you or a loved one, is to talk to your doctor. Contact

your insurance provider regarding payment options.
Accessing this service can provide much support while
it combines curative treatment with comfort measures.
For more information on Palliative Care, visit:
1. National Hospice and Palliative Care
Association (NHPCO)www.nhpco.org
2. CaringInfo - a program of the NHPCO (www.
caringinfo.org)
3. Get Palliative Care - http://getpalliativecare.org/
http://www.caringinfo.org http://www.caringinfo.org http://www.getpalliativecare.org/ http://www.caringinfo.org http://www.coaoc.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Council on Aging Answers 2016
