Hospice Care FAQs in Rancho Cucamonga, California

Hospice care is provided to terminally ill patients who have a limited life expectancy and who wish to receive comfort care rather than curative treatment for their illness.

Hospice care alleviates pain and suffering and treats symptoms rather than cure the illness. Services are directed toward the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the patient and family. Hospice services are designed to maximize the patient’s comfort.

Medicare or Medi-Cal pay for hospice care. There is no out-of-pocket cost to patient/family under the Medicare/Medi-Cal hospice benefit. Most medical insurances and health maintenance organizations offer hospice care as a benefit.

Hospice services are coordinated and delivered by a team of healthcare professionals of various disciplines, including physicians, registered nurses, social workers, home health aides, spiritual counselors, therapists, dietitians and volunteers. This team is known as the “interdisciplinary team.” The interdisciplinary team customizes a plan of care which aims to manage the patient’s pain and meet the patient’s and family’s needs.

Family members are encouraged to participate in the patient’s care as much as possible. Hospice views the patient and family as the unit of care. If patient has no family members to assist in care giving, hospice will work with a caregiver or willing friends or neighbors of the patient.

Yes. Most primary physicians continue to plan most of the patient’s care in coordination with the hospice team and the hospice physician.

Medications necessary for pain relief and symptom management related to the terminal illness are provided by hospice.

Medical supplies ( e.g. diapers, chux, gloves), and medical equipment (e.g. hospital bed, wheelchair, oxygen) necessary for pain relief and symptom management related to the terminal illness are provided by hospice.

Yes. You can call on St. Francis Hospice Care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

After the patient dies, bereavement counseling is available to assist the family with the grieving process. More Information

A patient can discontinue hospice services at any time.

St. Francis Hospice Care is a provider of hospice care for patients who have been diagnosed with terminal illnesses which cause their shortened life expectancies.

To make each day meaningful that our patients may live their lives to the fullest; we promote your dignity and we respect your individuality.

Yes. St. Francis Hospice Care is available 24/7.

You can start by filling out our online Admission Form.

No. A doctor’s recommendation will be helpful but it is not a requirement in order to receive hospice care from St. Francis Hospice Care. We will still conduct a hospice care assessment for all patients as part of the admission process.

No. Hospice provides intermittent nursing visits to assess, monitor and treat symptoms, as well as teach family and caregivers the skills they need to care for the patient. Team members are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer questions or visit anytime the need for support arises.

No. Our goal is always to alleviate suffering and manage symptoms. Hospice does nothing to speed up or slow down the dying process. Our role is to lend support and allow the disease process to unfold as comfortably as possible.

Yes. St. Francis Hospice Care accepts patients who live alone. Part of the admission and ongoing care process, however, is to plan and prepare for the time in a patient’s illness when 24-hour-a-day care will be necessary.

Yes. Receiving hospice care is always a choice. A patient may leave hospice and return to curative treatment if that is their choice. If the patient later chooses to return to hospice care, Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurance companies permit re-activation of the hospice benefit.

Yes. Many symptoms, however, that would normally require hospitalization or an emergency room visit can be successfully managed at home by the hospice team, thus preventing the stress of hospitalization. Hospice patients generally only have the need for short hospital stays to stabilize a symptom and then are able to return home.

No. Hospice is about living. Hospice strives to bring quality of life and comfort to a patient and their family. Our successes are in helping a patient and family live fully until the end. Often patients will feel better with good pain and symptom management. Hospice is an experience of care and support, different from any other type of care.

No. Hospice is about living fully. We encourage patients to do what they enjoy as they are able. The hospice team assists patients and families in achieving their goals and dreams as much as possible.

Yes. Bereavement Services follow family and caregivers for a year following the patient’s death. These services may include personal visits, providing information concerning the grief process and offering periodic opportunities for group support. Bereavement Services provides information and referral to other area resources when needed.