Is hospice care only for cancer patients?
No. Hospice care is for all terminally ill patients in the end-stage of any disease, including, but not limited to lung disease (emphysema, fibrosis, COPD, etc.), heart disease, neurological disease (ALS, Alzheimers) and AIDS. There is also no age restriction. While most patients in Hospice are over 60 years of age, younger adults and children are also served.
Hospice care is provided for all “end-stage” diseases that have progressed to a point where the patient is given a prognosis of 6 months or less to live by their doctor. While many hospice patients do have cancer, hospice also provides services to patients at the end stage of other degenerative illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, lung disease, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and other neurological diseases, and HIV/AIDS.
