Alzheimer's and Dementia

What is Hospice Care?

By Elder Law Attorney Rick Law.  Based in suburban Aurora, IL, Rick and the Estate Planning Center at Law Elder Law provide Guardianship, Wills, Trusts, Medicaid Planning, and much more. Hospice care is a team approach to caring for an individual in the final stages of a terminal illness, such as Alzheimer’s. The goal of hospice care is to provide comfort, reassurance, and support for dying patients and their families and friends. Qualifications for hospice care require a physician’s prognosis that the patient only has a life expectancy of six months. The point of hospice care is not to attempt to cure the illness, but to comfort the patient, lessen the pain, and help all involved deal with the inevitable death. Hospice care focuses on “dying well.” Medicare usually covers charges for hospice services for qualified patients, and most hospice program requirements conform to Medicare and National Hospice Association Guidelines. Because of the emotional attachment that family members typically have, it may be difficult to identify (or admit) when it is time for hospice care. It is a good idea to seek counsel and explore the possibility of hospice care before it is needed so that the clients do not have to deal with this at the most emotional point of the journey. This means discussing hospice criteria with the patient’s doctor to see how willing the doctor is to certify a patient for a hospice program. Sadly, Alzheimer’s is terminal, and all sufferers reach the point where the only thing left to do is to comfort and prepare them as best as possible for death. Too many families needlessly lose everything they have.  Don’t let that be you.  If you need help building a fortress around your estate to protect it from creditors, predators, and the cost of chronic disease, give our office a call at 800-310-3100.  Your first consultation is absolutely free.  We’ll let you know what steps you need to take, right now, to protect yourself and your family. Sincerely, Rick L. Law, Attorney, Estate Planner for Retirees. Rick was named the #1 Illinois elder law estate planning attorney by Leading Lawyer Magazine. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, AARP Magazine, TheStreet.com, and numerous newspapers and articles. Rick is the lead attorney for Law Elder Law, LLP, focusing in Estate Planning, Guardianship, and Nursing Home Solutions. His goal is to give retirees an informed edge when it comes to dealing with an uncertain future.  Get flexible retirement strategies that work during good times and bad, plus information on how you can save your home and assets from being used to pay for long term care.