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Hospice Care

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Hospice Care

Mount Carmel Hospice offers compassionate in-home hospice care to support patients and families during life’s final season. Our personalized care plans focus on pain relief, symptom management, and emotional support — empowering patients to spend meaningful time with loved ones.

As a trusted part of the Columbus, Ohio community for decades, Mount Carmel Hospice continues to deliver end-of-life care rooted in our mission to serve the whole person. Whether you are exploring hospice for the first time or are ready to take the next step for a loved one, our dedicated team is here to guide you through every part of the journey.

Call 1-614-234-0200 for more information. 

 Explore Our Hospice Services

Mount Carmel Hospice offers compassionate in-home hospice care to support patients and families during life's final season. Our personalized care plans focus on pain relief, symptom management and emotional support, empowering patients to spend meaningful time with loved ones.
Our hospice services include:

  • Management of pain and other symptoms.
  • Nursing care provided with dignity and respect.
  • Emotional and spiritual counseling.
  • Help with daily tasks, such as bathing and dressing.
  • Delivery and management of medications, medical supplies and equipment.
  • Care wherever patients call home.
  • Grief support after a loved one’s passing.
  • Guidance documenting end-of-life wishes.

Our dedicated team collaborates closely with each patient and family, prioritizing individual needs, values and preferences. If your loved one has a life-limiting illness or struggles with pain or daily activities, hospice may be the next step. While we most often provide hospice care in the home, we also make it available to patients who reside in assisted living centers and nursing homes. Our interdisciplinary team is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care.

Hospice care is a specialized approach to medical care designed for people living with a life-limiting illness who have chosen to focus on comfort and quality of life rather than curative treatment. It is not about giving up — it is about shifting the focus of care to what matters most: living as fully and comfortably as possible in the time you have.

Unlike traditional medical treatment, hospice addresses the whole person. That means expert pain and symptom management alongside emotional counseling, spiritual support, and practical assistance for both patients and their families. Our dedicated team collaborates closely with each patient and family, prioritizing individual needs, values, and preferences.

Who Is Hospice Care For?

If your loved one has a life-limiting illness or struggles with pain or daily activities, hospice may be the right next step. Patients typically qualify when a physician determines a prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows its expected course. Common diagnoses include advanced cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dementia, kidney disease, and liver disease — though hospice is not limited to any specific condition.
You and your loved ones should consider hospice as early as possible. Early enrollment gives you more time to benefit from the full range of services and support hospice provides.

Hospice Care vs. Palliative Care

Many people wonder about the differences between hospice and palliative care. While both focus on comfort and symptom relief, palliative care can begin at any stage of a serious illness — even while you are still receiving curative treatments. Hospice care is specifically for patients who have decided to stop curative treatment and focus entirely on quality of life. Mount Carmel offers both palliative and hospice care as part of a full continuum of support.
 

You don’t have to face this journey alone. Mount Carmel Hospice provides comfort, dignity, and expert care for patients and families throughout central Ohio. Our team is available to answer your questions, explain your options, and help you take the next step — whenever you are ready. 

For more information about Mount Carmel Hospice, call 614-234-0200 or request a referral from your doctor. You can also explore our hospice services, read testimonials from families we’ve served, or learn about volunteer and donation opportunities. 

Learn More

Understanding Hospice Care: Common Myths and Facts

Dive into the world of hospice care as Dr. Philip Santa-Emma unravels the most common myths surrounding this critical service. Discover how hospice focuses on enhancing quality of life, not just end-of-life care, and learn about the misconceptions that often arise among patients and families.

FAQ

Hospice care is a specialized type of medical care focused on comfort, pain relief, and quality of life for people living with a terminal illness. Rather than attempting to cure the disease, hospice helps patients live as fully and comfortably as possible. Care is provided by a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors, and chaplains wherever the patient calls home.

While both focus on comfort, they differ in important ways. Palliative care can begin at any stage of a serious illness and can be received alongside curative treatment. Hospice care is specifically for patients who have chosen to stop curative treatment and have a life expectancy of six months or less. Mount Carmel Hospice provides in-home hospice, and Mount Carmel Health System also provides inpatient and community-based palliative care. 

A patient typically qualifies for hospice care when a physician determines they have a life-limiting illness with a prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows its expected course. The patient must also choose to focus on comfort care rather than curative treatment. Your doctor can help determine if hospice is appropriate.

No. Hospice is not a place—it’s a philosophy of care. Most Mount Carmel hospice Hospice patients receive care in their own home. We also provide hospice services in assisted living centers, nursing homes, and some hospitals.

Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans include a hospice benefit that covers nearly all hospice-related services, including medications, equipment, nursing visits, and counseling. Mount Carmel Hospice also helps ensure hospice care is available to those without coverage.

Medicare covers hospice care for as long as the patient continues to meet the eligibility criteria. There is no fixed time limit. Patients are recertified at regular intervals, and coverage continues as long as the hospice medical director confirms the terminal prognosis.

Hospice does not typically provide around-the-clock caregivers in the home. However, hospice nurses are available 24 hours a day by phone for questions and emergencies, and they make regular in-person visits throughout the week. When a patient’s condition requires it, continuous care or inpatient care may be arranged.

Not at all. Choosing hospice simply shifts the focus of care from curing the disease to managing symptoms and maximizing quality of life. Most hospice patients still have goals, plans, and meaningful daily experiences. Patients can also leave hospice at any time if they decide to resume curative treatment.