Notre Dame Hospice

06/04/2026

Thanks The Hospice NP for helping our families understand that hospice eligibility is not just about the diagnosis but the functional decline & increased symptoms burdens on the patient.

06/03/2026

True or False?

06/01/2026

Let's start the month of June learning what Hospice really means... comment below if you have had experience with a loved one in hospice and what it means to you ??

05/29/2026

Delaying a hospice referral can mean missed opportunities for comfort, support, and quality time. Early hospice involvement allows patients and families to receive expert symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, caregiver guidance, and personalized care focused on dignity and comfort.

When referrals are delayed, patients may experience unmanaged pain, unnecessary hospitalizations, increased stress for families, and less time to benefit from the full scope of hospice services. Hospice is not about giving up — it is about improving quality of life and ensuring patients receive compassionate care when it matters most.

Thanks The Hospice NP for such a great resource.

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

Hospice Eligibility Criteria

Hospice eligibility is generally based on whether a patient has a life-limiting illness with a prognosis of approximately six months or less if the disease follows its normal course (CMS, 2024). Eligibility is determined by a physician’s clinical judgment, disease progression, declining functional status, and overall symptom burden rather than by diagnosis alone.

Patients may qualify for hospice when curative treatment is no longer effective, no longer desired, or when the burdens of treatment outweigh the benefits. Hospice focuses on comfort, symptom management, dignity, and quality of life rather than cure (NHPCO, 2024).

Common signs that may indicate hospice eligibility include:
• Frequent hospitalizations or emergency room visits
• Progressive weight loss or poor appetite
• Increasing weakness, fatigue, or sleeping more
• Declining ability to perform daily activities
• Recurrent infections or worsening symptoms
• Increased pain, shortness of breath, or symptom burden
• Cognitive decline or worsening confusion
• PPS (Palliative Performance Scale) decline or functional decline

Many terminal illnesses have disease-specific hospice guidelines, including:
• Advanced cancer
• End-stage heart failure
• End-stage COPD or lung disease
• Advanced dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
• End-stage renal disease
• Liver failure
• ALS and other neurological diseases

Hospice eligibility also considers functional decline. Patients often demonstrate increasing dependence with bathing, dressing, eating, walking, or transferring. Significant decline in mobility, nutrition, cognition, or endurance may support hospice appropriateness (VITAS, 2024).

Importantly, hospice is not about giving up on living. Patients may improve temporarily while receiving hospice care. Hospice provides support, symptom relief, education, emotional care, and comfort-focused treatment designed to improve quality of life for both patients and families (AAHPM, 2023).

The Hospice NP💙

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, our hospice team pauses to honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We are deeply grateful for their courage, service, and dedication.

As we spend time with loved ones today, we also hold close the memories of those who are no longer with us. From all of us at Notre Dame Hospice, we thank our veterans, military families, and fallen heroes for their sacrifice and strength. 🇺🇸❤️

05/18/2026

When Comfort Care and Choice Collide: Understanding MAiD vs. Hospice

Many people hear the terms hospice and Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) used in the same conversation, but they are not the same thing.

Hospice care focuses on comfort, dignity, symptom management, emotional support, and quality of life for people living with a terminal illness. Hospice neither hastens death nor prolongs it. The goal is to allow a natural dying process with comfort and support for both the patient and family.

Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), sometimes called Death With Dignity, refers to laws in certain states that allow a terminally ill, mentally capable adult to request medication they may self-administer to intentionally end their life under strict legal guidelines.

As of 2026, MAiD is legal in California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Washington, D.C. Some additional states have pending legislation or court-related protections that may vary.

This conversation is deeply personal, emotional, ethical, cultural, and spiritual. Families, healthcare professionals, and patients often have very different perspectives on what dignity, suffering, autonomy, and comfort mean at the end of life.

Hospice care remains focused on comfort, symptom relief, education, emotional support, and helping patients live as fully and comfortably as possible for whatever time remains.

Different paths. Same desire for dignity, compassion, and informed choice.

What are your thoughts on the difference between MAiD and hospice care?

The Hospice NP 💙