Article: Texas Hospice and Support Servcies

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Texas Hospice and Support Services

The Texas Department of Human Services is responsible for regulating and licensing of Hospice programs. Hospice care is a comprehensive and special type of medical and supportive social, emotional, and spiritual care provided to the terminally ill and their families. The goal of Hospice care is to help end or ease pain and other troubling symptoms of an illness, rather than treatment aimed at curing the illness, as well as providing comfort and support.

Most, but not all, Hospice care is provided in the patient's home. Most Hospice patients have cancer, although a growing number of Hospice patients have end-stage heart, lung, kidney, neurological, or liver disease, HIV/AIDS, stroke, Alzheimer's, or other conditions. The Hospice team is composed of doctors, nurses, social workers, trained volunteers, clergy and volunteers who coordinate an individualized plan of care for each patient and family. Hospice care allows every person and family to participate fully in the final stages of one's life.

There are many services available to hospice patients and their families. The services offered by Hospice programs will differ from program to program, but to the greatest extent possible, care is structured to keep families together and services are provided in the least restrictive environment possible. In-patient care provided by a licensed hospital, licensed skilled nursing facility, or the hospice's own in-patient facility, is kept to a minimum.

Although Hospice care is centered in the home, it sometimes becomes necessary to admit the patient to a hospital, extended care facility, or the hospice in-patient facility.

In order to qualify for Hospice benefits, a physician must certify that the patient has less than six months to live if the disease runs its normal course. The physician must re-certify the individual at the beginning of each benefit period. It is important to note that some patients live longer than the expected six months.

Hospice care will not be discontinued for a patient who lives longer than six months as long as the physician continues to certify the patient for hospice. Many Hospice programs have special programs for people who do not have health insurance.

Consumer Information

The Texas Department of Human Services is responsible for regulating and licensing of Hospice programs. Call them at 1-512-438-4800 to make sure the Hospice program you select is licensed in the State of Texas.

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