What is hospice?

Hospice is end-of-life care for people with an illness that can't be cured, focused on comfort, symptom relief and support for the family rather than treatment to cure the disease. Medicare.gov says a hospice team works with the person and family on a plan of care. The National Institute on Aging notes that other helpful medical care, such as blood pressure medicine, can continue.

Hospice becomes an option when a doctor judges that the person with dementia likely has six months or less to live. The Alzheimer's Association says that to qualify under Medicare, a physician must make that determination. Its description of late-stage Alzheimer's includes trouble eating and swallowing, losing the ability to walk, needing full-time help with personal care, and being vulnerable to infections such as pneumonia.

Yes, when the person meets Medicare's hospice rules. Medicare.gov says the hospice doctor and regular doctor must certify a life expectancy of six months or less, and the person must accept comfort care instead of curative treatment and sign a hospice election. Care from a Medicare-approved hospice costs nothing, apart from up to $5 per prescription for symptom drugs and a small respite copayment.

No. Medicare.gov says Medicare doesn't cover room and board when hospice care is given at home or in a nursing home or inpatient hospice facility where the person lives. The exception is a short-term inpatient or respite stay that the hospice team arranges, which Medicare covers. Families of nursing home residents should expect to keep paying the facility's room and board charges.

Hospice at home means the hospice team brings comfort care to the person where they live. The National Institute on Aging says a team member visits regularly, but family and friends provide the day-to-day care. The team coaches family members on how to care for the person and can arrange respite when caregivers need a break, from a few hours to several weeks.