Is It Time for Hospice? A Family Checklist

Choosing hospice is a hard decision, and it is not giving up. Hospice brings comfort, dignity and support to the person you love and to your family. This checklist can help you decide whether it’s time to talk with a hospice team. Only a physician can determine eligibility, but if several of these signs sound familiar, a conversation can help.

Not sure yet? Try our private family checklist: Is it time to talk about hospice? Your answers stay on your device.

Signs it may be time

• Frequent trips to the emergency room or hospital in the past few months
• Treatments are no longer working, or the burden of treatment outweighs the benefit
• Unplanned weight loss or eating and drinking much less
• Spending most of the day in a bed or chair
• Needing help with bathing, dressing, eating or walking
• Increasing pain, shortness of breath, nausea or other symptoms that are hard to control
• More confusion, sleepiness or withdrawal
• Repeated infections, falls or wounds that won’t heal
• A doctor has said the illness may be in its final months
• The family caregiver is exhausted and needs more support

What happens next

Call Maxcare Hospice at (714) 844-7777. A nurse can answer questions and help arrange an evaluation, and we’ll call you back as soon as possible if you leave a message. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. A live person answers our phone. We have Vietnamese-speaking staff. Maxcare Hospice has served Orange County families since 2011 from our Westminster office, and we are Medicare-certified (CCN 551689). Hospice care can be provided wherever the person lives: at home, in assisted living, in a board and care home or in a nursing facility.

Hospice is a choice you can change. If a patient’s condition improves or they want to try curative treatment again, they can leave hospice and return later if they still qualify.

Wondering what the first days look like? Read The First 48 Hours of Hospice at Home.

Call (714) 844-7777

Common questions

Who decides if someone is eligible for hospice?

A physician certifies that the person has a life-limiting illness with a prognosis of six months or less if the illness follows its usual course. Our team can coordinate with the person’s doctor.

Does choosing hospice mean giving up?

No. Hospice shifts the focus to comfort, symptom control and quality of life, with emotional and spiritual support for the whole family.

Where is hospice care provided?

Wherever the person calls home, including a private home, assisted living, board and care or a nursing facility.

Can we stop hospice later?

Yes. A patient can leave hospice at any time, for example to pursue curative treatment, and can return later if eligible.

How do we start?

Call Maxcare Hospice at (714) 844-7777. A live person answers 24/7, and Vietnamese-speaking staff are available.

Talk with a hospice nurse

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. A live person answers our phone. Vietnamese-speaking staff.

Call (714) 844-7777

Maxcare Hospice · 13800 Arizona St #201, Westminster, CA 92683 · Medicare-certified (CCN 551689)