Hospice care in the Rochester area

Who qualifies for hospice?

A person qualifies for Medicare hospice when a doctor certifies a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course and the person chooses comfort care rather than curative treatment for that illness.

Hospice can continue past six months with recertification.

What does Medicare's hospice benefit cover?

It covers the hospice team's visits, medications for comfort, medical equipment and supplies, short inpatient stays for symptom control, respite stays of up to five days and bereavement support, but not room and board.

Hospice serves people at home, in assisted living and in nursing homes.

Which hospices serve the Rochester area?

The state roster lists hospices with offices in the five counties, including UR Medicine Hospice and Rochester Regional Health Hospice Care, and others based nearby also serve the area.

The state roster lists 5 hospice licenses with offices in the five counties: Livingston County Hospice, Rochester Regional Health Hospice Care, Supportive Care of Orleans, UR Medicine Hospice.

What should Rochester families ask a hospice first?

Ask how quickly a nurse can come after hours, how often visits happen, whether the hospice has an inpatient unit or contracts for one, and what respite and bereavement support it offers.

Ask whether the hospice already works with your parent's residence or nursing home; established relationships make coordination easier.

When should a family start hospice?

Families can ask about hospice as soon as a doctor thinks a six-month prognosis is reasonable; starting earlier gives more time for symptom control and family support.

Hospice can be stopped and restarted, so enrolling is not an irreversible step.

How do hospice and the residence share the work?

In a residence or nursing home, hospice adds visits from its nurses, aides, social worker and chaplain, supplies comfort medications and equipment, and plans care with the facility, while the facility keeps providing daily care, meals and supervision.

Ask both who to call first at night and who decides when a hospital trip is needed.

Where is hospice licensed across the Rochester area?

Here is how the Department of Health's roster distributes hospice across the five counties; agencies and hospices have no bed count.