Info Sheets/Pocket Resources

Care of the Hospitalized Aging Medical Patient (CHAMP) Pocket Teaching Cards

Hospice services

***varies by location/ hospice agency

  • Can be offered at home/inpatient (for symptoms/ transitional time, usually not permanent) or Nursing home (this also depends on insurance, you need long term care insurance or Medicaid to have hospice at nursing home)
  • Hospice services when they’re needed to care for your terminal illness and related condition(s): ■ Doctor visits ■ Nursing care ■ Medical equipment (such as wheelchairs or walkers) ■ Medical supplies (such as bandages and catheters) ■ Drugs for symptom control or pain relief (may need to pay a small copayment) ■ Hospice aide and homemaker services ■ Physical and occupational therapy usually for functional ADLS/ not rehab ■ Speech-language pathology services for swallow evaluation/ coaching for appropriate food choices ■ Social worker services/ chaplain support ■ Grief and loss counseling for pt and their family ■ Short-term inpatient care (for pain and symptom management) ■ Short-term respite care (may need to pay a small copayment) ■ Any other Medicare-covered services needed to manage your pain and other symptoms related to your terminal illness, as recommended by your hospice doctor
  • MEDICARE HOSPICE BENEFIT/ and most HOSPICE BENEFIT PROGRAMS DO NOT COVER THE FOLLOWING: Prescription drugs to cure your illness,  care from multiple specialist, room and board at a nursing home/ unless for respite stay, care in an emergency room, ambulance transportation unless arranged by the hospice team and related to hospice diagnosis.
  • Open access programs: certain programs (Vitas/Seasons) are able to pay for more complex services such as inotropes for CHF patients, short courses of IV antibiotics, radiation treatments, TPN lite (basically a banana bag and LR)
  • Visits by RNs depending on patient need/acuity, nurses’ aides 2-3 times a week

Palliative Care

***Not a universal service, many areas do not have outpatient palliative care programs, In Chicago- Seasons and Horizon.  Most academic hospitals have inpatient palliative care services

  • Infrequent services (1-2 times a month)
  • Usually done by Advanced Practice Nurses/ MDs
  • For symptom management/ continued decision making guidance
  • Meant for patients who are still pursuing treatments, able to get back/forth for appointments, not requiring significant support services
  • You can have home health and palliative care services in conjunction

 

Home health

***Various levels of home health care/ there are high tech companies that provide for PCA’s, TPN, extensive wound care services

Most home care plans cover intermittent skilled nursing care, PT/OT, speech therapy, wound care, medication management (setting up pill boxes), G-tube teaching, Pleurx/drainage tube teaching, ostomy care. There is a case manager who coordinates services that the MD/APP orders.