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Hospice is medical and supportive care for individuals with a terminal illness, who are no longer pursuing curative or life-sustaining treatment. Hospice provides a wide range of services, including pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support for the patient and their family, physical and occupational therapy, short-term inpatient care, and bereavement and grief counseling. The interdisciplinary hospice team typically consists of the patient’s primary care physician, hospice physician, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, and volunteers.

Hospice care is covered by Medicare and most private health insurance plans, assuming eligibility requirements are met.

Hospice agencies are licensed and regulated by the California Department of Public Health.

Hospice is different from palliative care. For more information on palliative care, visit here.