Who is eligible for hospice care?

Who is eligible for hospice care?

David Kessler (Director of Palliative Care, Citrus Valley Health Partners and Hospice) gives expert video advice on: What are the first steps in hospice care?; Where does hospice care take place?; Can my family and friends be involved in my hospice care? and more...

Anyone is eligible for hospice care who has a terminal illness that if it follows its normal course, would result in death within six months. But that's just to be eligible. It doesn't mean that someone has to die in six months. There's people on hospice who live for nine months or a year. So I always caution people: don't let that six months scare you. It's just a qualifying term, and it doesn't represent what's actually going to happen to a patient.