What is the difference between hospice and palliative care?
Palliative care relieves symptoms and stress at any stage of a serious illness, alongside curative treatment; hospice is comfort-focused care for someone with a life expectancy of six months or less who has chosen to stop curative treatment for the terminal illness.
Palliative care is usually delivered by hospital or clinic teams and billed like other medical care. Hospice is a defined Medicare benefit that brings a team (nurse, aide, social worker, chaplain, physician) to wherever the patient lives.
Can hospice be provided in a Memphis assisted living facility?
Yes. Tennessee lets an ACLF resident who qualifies for hospice receive it and remain a resident if the treating physician certifies that the care can be provided appropriately there, with the hospice and the ACLF jointly responsible for the plan of care (0720-26-.08(5)).
Hospice is also common in nursing homes. Medicare's hospice benefit covers the hospice team, medications and equipment related to the terminal illness, but not room and board in a facility. HFC's listings show 10 licensed hospices with offices in Shelby, Fayette and Tipton counties, including AccentCare Hospice and Palliative Care of Tennessee, LLC, Amedisys Hospice Care, Baptist Trinity Home Care & Hospice, Caris Healthcare; hospices based elsewhere in Tennessee may also serve Memphis-area ZIP codes.
How do I choose a hospice in Memphis?
Ask how quickly a nurse can come after hours, how often aides visit each week, where inpatient care happens if symptoms cannot be controlled at home, and what bereavement support continues for the family.
Check the hospice's HFC license on our home health and hospice roster, and look it up on Medicare's Care Compare, which publishes hospice quality and family survey results.
When should a Memphis family ask about hospice?
Ask when treatment is no longer working or the burden of treatment outweighs its benefit, when hospital stays are becoming frequent, or when a parent says they want to focus on comfort; a hospice evaluation does not commit anyone to enrolling.
Many families say afterward that they wish they had called sooner, because hospice support for the patient and caregiver works best over weeks or months rather than days. A physician's referral starts the process, but families can call a hospice directly to ask for an informational visit.
At a glance
| Hospice | Palliative care | |
|---|---|---|
| Prognosis | Six months or less if the illness runs its course | Any stage of serious illness |
| Curative treatment | Stopped for the terminal illness | Continues |
| Payment | Medicare hospice benefit | Regular medical coverage |
| Where | Home, ACLF, nursing home, inpatient unit | Hospital, clinic or home |
Sources include Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. chapters 0720-26, 0720-21 and 0720-18, Health Facilities Commission and TennCare pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
