Hospice Supportive Care
Hospice supportive care is non-medical caregiving that sits alongside a hospice team, providing the hands-on help and continuous presence at the bedside that the hospice benefit itself does not cover.
Reviewed by Valerie VanBooven, RN, BSN
What's Included
- Personal care such as bathing, mouth care, and keeping someone comfortable and clean
- Careful repositioning to prevent pressure sores and ease discomfort
- Help with eating and drinking for as long as that remains wanted
- Sitting with the person so they are not alone, including overnight
- Respite so family members can sleep, eat, and step outside
- Household support and errands during a period when nobody has capacity for them
- A steady presence for the family as well as the person who is ill
Who It's For
A family caring for someone on hospice at home who has discovered that the hospice team visits rather than stays, and who needs help through the hours in between.
Understanding Hospice Supportive Care
This is not hospice. Hospice is a distinct benefit delivered by a licensed hospice agency, and its team of nurses, aides, social workers, and chaplains manages symptoms, medication, equipment, and emotional and spiritual support.
What surprises many families is the shape of it. Hospice care at home is generally delivered in visits, not as a continuous presence, so the hospice nurse may come several times a week and an aide a few times a week, and the rest of the hours belong to the family.
Hospice supportive care fills those hours. Caregivers provide the personal care and the sitting, including overnight, so that someone is present through the night and the family can sleep. It runs alongside the hospice team rather than replacing any part of it.
Because it is custodial rather than clinical, it usually falls outside what the hospice benefit pays for, and is most often private pay, long-term care insurance, or a waiver programme. The hospice team and the agency between them can explain what each side covers.
Families frequently arrange this late, in the last days, when it would have helped for weeks. It is worth asking early what hours the hospice team will actually be present, because that answer is what determines the gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hospice supportive care?
Hospice supportive care is non-medical caregiving that sits alongside a hospice team, providing the hands-on help and continuous presence at the bedside that the hospice benefit itself does not cover.
Who is hospice supportive care for?
A family caring for someone on hospice at home who has discovered that the hospice team visits rather than stays, and who needs help through the hours in between.
Other Services
How to Get Hospice Supportive Care
Enter a city and state below to find home care providers in the Care Across America directory who serve that area. Contact them directly to ask whether they offer hospice supportive care and to get pricing for your situation.