Hospice care can begin when curative treatment is no longer desired or
expected to be effective. Hospice neither hastens nor postpones death, but
recognizes dying as a normal process and seeks to help patients and their
families prepare for death mentally and spiritually.
Hospice patients have life expectancies that are expressed in months, weeks
or days. An individual’s attending physician makes this determination. The
Aurora VNA Hospice Program will not deny services to anyone on the basis of
race, religion, age, color, national origin, creed, sex, and/or physical or
mental handicap.
Financial information
Medicare and Medicaid cover all the costs of hospice care, including visits
from team members, equipment, supplies, medications, and comfort-related
therapies. Private insurance policies vary.
Upon enrolling in the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association Hospice Program, the
Hospice team will contact the insurance company to determine Hospice benefits.
Admission to Hospice is based on need, rather than ability to pay. If a patient
has no coverage for Hospice services, the Aurora VNA provides financial
counseling if needed.
Bereavement support
People who have not experienced great grief may think there’s a timetable for
recovery. They often don’t mention the loved one who has died because it makes
them uncomfortable. Yet, people often need to talk about those who have died not
just to mourn their death, but also to celebrate their life.
The Aurora Visiting Nurse Association Hospice Program provides bereavement
services for family and friends following the death of the patient. Families are
supported through emotional times, such as holidays and birthdays during the
following year.
