Hospice Care Eligibility and Timing: It’s More Than You May Think

Hospice is often called in at the last minute, but it’s not meant to be that way.

The misconception that hospice care is only for a person’s final days or hours continues to shape how and when families seek support. According to Elizabeth Mangiapane, a patient access specialist with Emmanuel Hospice, that delay can mean missing out on care designed to improve quality of life much earlier.

“For many families, hospice is still associated with the final hours of life or the idea of giving up,” Mangiapane says. “But hospice care is more about changing paths when the risks of treatment start to outweigh the benefits. It’s choosing quality of life over quantity.”

Hospice care is intended for individuals with a prognosis of six months or less if their disease follows its natural course without any intervention. Even so, that timeline is not exact and patients may receive care for weeks or months beyond that. 

“We are constantly evaluating patients and as long as they continue to meet eligibility guidelines set by Medicare, they can stay on hospice services,” Mangiapane says. 

Eligibility for hospice is also broader than most people realize, Mangiapane added. It is not limited to cancer patients or older adults, but instead applies to anyone with a qualifying life-limiting condition.

“There is a vast array of qualifying diagnoses,” she says, noting that conditions such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, heart disease and various pulmonary diseases are common in the patient population Emmanuel Hospice serves.

Another myth Mangiapane would like to debunk is that hospice patients are always confined to a bed. Some patients continue to live relatively active lives after choosing to stop curative treatment and focus instead on comfort and time with loved ones.

“You could go to the grocery store and walk past someone on hospice and never know,” she adds.

Hospice also creates space for important conversations, helping patients share how they want to spend their remaining time. The goal is to help patients live as fully and comfortably as possible, often in their own home, surrounded by the people who matter most.

For families, starting hospice earlier can ease the growing demands of caregiving on both practical and emotional levels. Mangiapane and her team are constantly working behind the scenes to coordinate care, navigate insurance requirements and ensure patients have all the medications and supplies they need.

“We handle all those details,” she says, “that allow families to relax and just be with their loved one and enjoy whatever time they have left.”

Mangiapane wants families to know a call to learn more doesn’t equate to a commitment, and you can always change your mind. 

Understanding that hospice is not just for the final hours but for the final chapter can open the door to care that makes that time more comfortable, more supported and more meaningful. In many cases, that decision – made sooner rather than later – can make all the difference.

For more information, call 616.719.0919 or visit EmmanuelHospice.org.