Stamford Senior AdvisorWhat is the difference between hospice and palliative care?
Palliative care relieves symptoms and stress at any stage of a serious illness and can be given alongside treatment meant to cure, while hospice is comfort-focused care for someone with a life expectancy of six months or less who has chosen to stop curative treatment.
Palliative care is usually delivered by a hospital or clinic team and billed like other medical care. Hospice is a specific Medicare benefit with its own team, covering nursing, aides, social work, chaplaincy, medications for comfort, equipment and supplies.
Where can hospice care be given in Fairfield County?
Hospice can be given at home, in assisted living, in a residential care home or in a nursing home; the hospice team visits wherever the person lives, and short inpatient stays are available when symptoms cannot be managed at home.
DPH's license export shows 27 home health care agencies with Fairfield County addresses, and CMS lists 7 Medicare-certified hospices with offices in the county. Hospice does not pay for room and board in a nursing home or assisted living; that stays with private funds or HUSKY C.
When should a family ask about hospice?
Ask when treatment is no longer working or its burden outweighs the benefit, when hospital stays are becoming frequent, or when a parent says they want to focus on comfort; an informational visit commits no one.
Families often say afterward that they wish they had called sooner, because hospice support for the patient and caregiver works best over weeks or months. Complaints about hospice care can go to the hotline at 800-828-9769.
How do we choose a hospice?
Ask how quickly the hospice responds after hours, how often nurses and aides visit, which inpatient unit it uses, and how it supports the family during and after the death; confirm it is Medicare-certified.
The hospice and home health roster lists Medicare-certified hospices with Fairfield County offices; others based elsewhere in Connecticut may serve your town too.
Can someone leave hospice if they improve?
Yes: a patient can leave hospice at any time, for example to resume curative treatment or because their condition stabilizes, and can re-enroll later if they again qualify.
Hospice is reviewed in benefit periods, and a hospice physician recertifies that the prognosis still fits. Leaving does not penalize anyone. Families who are unsure can ask for palliative care first and revisit hospice as things change.
At a glance
| Hospice | Palliative care | |
|---|---|---|
| Prognosis | Six months or less | Any stage of serious illness |
| Curative treatment | Stopped | Can continue |
| Payment | Medicare hospice benefit | Billed like other medical care |
Sources include the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (19-13-D105 and related sections), the Connecticut General Statutes as summarized by the Office of Legislative Research, DPH, DSS and Aging and Disability Services pages, CareScout and VA rate tables as cited above; see our editorial standards.
