Frequently Asked Questions
We’re bringing answers home.
Hospice FAQ
What is hospice?
Hospice is a philosophy of high-quality, compassionate care for anyone of any age who has a life-limiting illness and does not want any more curative treatment. It provides dignity, choice and comfort so what remains of life can be lived to its fullest. Hospice care also provides a great deal of support for family members in the form of physical, emotional and spiritual assistance.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is designed to maximize the quality of life for patients with advanced or life-limiting illness. Hospice is a form of palliative care, but hospice is for those who don’t want to continue curative treatment. At Hospice Atlanta, our palliative care is called the Advanced Illness Management (AIM) program and it combines active and compassionate therapies to compliment the patient’s medical care.
What’s the difference between home healthcare, hospice care and private home care?
Home Healthcare is quite like it sounds. It is medical attention provided by skilled professionals that takes place in the comfort and convenience of your own home. The care comes to you rather than you having to travel to a hospital or clinic. Home healthcare is coordinated by a licensed, qualified organization and may involve the services of nurses, therapists, clinicians and sometimes even social workers providing non-medical support. It is a service ordered by a physician for patients who may be recovering from a surgery, illness or injury or for those facing chronic illness.
Hospice care is a philosophy of high-quality, compassionate care for anyone of any age who has a life-limiting illness and does not want any more curative treatment. It provides dignity, choice and comfort so what remains of life can be lived to its fullest. Hospice care also provides a great deal of support for family members in the form of physical, emotional and spiritual assistance.
Private Home Care provides care that concentrates on activities of daily living that including live in senior care, personal care, household/chore services, and transportation. These are all things that allow us to remain independent and in our homes.
Where does hospice care take place?
Hospice Atlanta provides hospice services in the comfort and ease of the patient’s home, wherever that may be, including an assisted living facility or nursing home.
Can I receive hospice care in an assisted living or nursing home?
Yes. Our skilled and intuitive team can also provide care in an assisted living or nursing home or any other living situation.
How does hospice work?
A family member is usually the primary caregiver and assists with making care decisions for the patient. Together the family/primary caregiver and hospice team collaborate to create an overall plan that includes treatment, support, personal care, and a number of specialized services for the patient and their family.
When is the right time to involve hospice?
It is always the family’s choice, but the right time may be when the patient’s prognosis is life-limiting (six months or less) and the patient is ready to stop curative treatment.
How can someone get started with hospice care?
To begin hospice care with Hospice Atlanta please give us a call us at (404) 869-3000. We will work with the patient’s physician to confirm hospice care is appropriate at this time.
Does the hospice patient need someone with them at all times?
No. It is not required that someone be with the hospice patient at all times during the earlier stages. During the later stages of care however, it is recommended.
In order to care for a hospice patient at home how many family members/friends will be needed to assist?
When our hospice team develops your care plan they will be able to determine if additional home help from family and friends is necessary. If the patient has extra help from family and friends or not, our staff will visit the home regularly and be available to answer questions and provide support.
Is it difficult to care for a dying loved one at home?
When caring for a dying loved one in the home comes with a lot of changes that be challenging. Some have found it stressful or exhausting especially during the night. Our hospice team is available 24/7 for support when needed.
How much does hospice care cost?
Hospice services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most insurance.
What hospice services are covered under Medicare/Medicaid benefits?
These benefits cover most everything:
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Social workers
- Certified nursing assistants
- Chaplains
- Bereavement counselors
- Medical equipment (hospital beds, oxygen, wheelchairs, etc.)
- Medications for pain and symptom control
- Other medications may also be covered
If the situation improves, can the patient leave hospice?
Of course. If the patient’s condition improves, they can return to their regular medical care. And the patient can return back to hospice, as well, as many times as necessary.
Can a hospice patient go to a hospital?
Yes. Patients always have the right to go to the hospital. But there is the possibility it will change the patient’s hospice status. In most cases, an emergency transfer to a hospital is not part of a hospice plan unless it is unrelated to the terminal diagnosis (e.g., a fractured hip, a blood clot). If the patient needs to go to the hospital, the hospice case manager should be immediately notified. The hospice team will work with the family in determining the next steps in the plan of care.
Does hospice speed up dying?
Hospice does nothing to speed up or slow down the process of dying. Hospice care just manages symptoms and discomfort for the best quality of life and to minimize suffering.
What kind of pain management can hospice provide?
Hospice Atlanta nurses have access to and are experts in most state-of-the-art pain and symptom relief. And because an illness also brings on emotional and spiritual pain, we provide counselors and chaplains, as well.
Will medications prevent a hospice patient from being able to talk or know what’s happening?
Not usually. When a patient is in hospice, it is the goal to help them live as actively as possible with little to no pain or discomfort.
Can the patient keep their regular physician when in hospice care?
Yes. Hospice is an extension of the regular medical care. We can also provide a medical doctor, if needed.
Does Hospice Atlanta support the family after the patient is gone?
Yes. Families and friends are supported for at least one year after a loved one’s passing and even longer than that if needed. If you are in need of bereavement support, our Bereavement Coordinators are available by phone (404) 869-3000 for grief support and counseling during regular business hours Monday-Friday.
Connect with Us on Instagram
📣Open Enrollment: Navigating Medicare Choices
Visiting Nurse Health System and Hospice Atlanta want to help you stay informed and make the best choices for your healthcare coverage.
Medicare Open Enrollment is October 15 – December 7.
This is your opportunity to review your current coverage, compare plans, and make changes for the year ahead.
✅ Review your current Medicare coverage
✅ Compare plans, benefits, and costs
✅ Make sure your doctors, prescriptions, and services are covered
Your health and peace of mind matter to us! Take time to review your options and make informed decisions about your care.
Medicare: Annual Open Enrollment is October 15–December 7, 2026. Beneficiaries can review and change Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans.
Medicaid: There is no annual Open Enrollment period in Georgia. Eligible individuals can apply year-round, and current beneficiaries can renew or update their information as needed
Learn more at:
Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
Georgia Medicaid at gateway.ga.gov or call 1-877-423-4746
For questions about eligibility, applications, renewals, or updating your information.
#MedicareOpenEnrollment #SeniorHealth #VisitingNurseHealthSystem #HospiceAtlanta
⭐ Excellence in Care, Right at Home!
Visiting Nurse’s Home Health division is proud to have our patients give a 4-Star Rating! We are proud to bring quality care into our patients` home each day, and this award is a genuine reflection of our commitment to delivering exceptional care, improving outcomes, and helping patients live safely and independently at home.
Congratulations to our incredible Home Health team for making a difference in the lives of those we serve every day!
#visitingnursehealthsystem #HomeHealth #QualityCare #4StarRating
As we close October, National Physical Therapy Month, we’ve had a great time celebrating our Physical Therapists (PT) and Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA). The great work they do each day lives on year long, helping patients stay strong, mobile, and independent at home. Thank you PTs! #PTMonth #gratitude
🎃 No tricks, just treats, and a whole lot of TRUE care! 🧡
Our Visiting Nurse Health System / Hospice Atlanta team is out and about this Halloween, bringing comfort, compassion, and a little extra care to patients right where they call home. Because the sweetest treat is knowing you`re cared for! 👻🩺
#VisitingNurse #TRUECare #Halloween #CareAtHome
Celebrating our employee of the month! Congratulations!
Visiting Nurse celebrated our Home Health Physical Therapists this week in recognition of PT Appreciation Month!
For more than 78 years, we’ve served Atlanta, helping patients regain strength, improve mobility and maintain independence at home. We are grateful to our PTs for the skill, compassion and dedication they bring to our patients every day.
To all of our PTs/PTAs, thank you for the work you do, the lives you touch and the difference you make for Visiting Nurse and the families we serve!
#ptappreciationmonth#homehealthcare#physicaltherapy#visitingnursehealthsystem #agingathome
The hidden caregiving crisis is a workforce issue, and a critical part of the ongoing conversation about the future of aging at home.
We’d like to thank everyone who joined us today for the Visiting Nurse Healthcare Champions Event: Leadership Conversations That Drive Change, hosted by Genuine Parts Company.
A special thank-you to Genuine Parts Company’s Renay Blumenthal, Sr. Director, Corporate Giving & Community Relations, for leading the day’s event with a warm welcome, and kicking off the day’s amazing line up of speakers.
Honored to have this event moderated by Crystal Edmonson of the Atlanta Business Chronicle, we are very grateful for our panelists for sharing their leadership expertise and perspectives on the growing demands facing working family caregivers and how employers can help support them:
• Rachel Cannady, Senior Associate Director, Caregiving, The Carter Center
• Keisha Olinger, Region Leader, Marsh People and Investments, Mid-South
• Eric Barker, Analyst, Senior Health & Welfare, Southern Company
Thank you to our own President and CEO, Dorothy Davis, for speaking today, and continuing to bring community leaders together to keep this important conversation going, critical to addressing the future of healthcare in our communities. At Visiting Nurse, we see firsthand how family caregivers help older adults remain safe, comfortable and independent at home. Yet balancing caregiving responsibilities with work and family life can create significant challenges for our own employees, employers and families.
Supporting caregivers is essential to helping seniors age with dignity in the place they call home. By bringing business and community leaders together, we can raise awareness, explore meaningful workplace solutions and strengthen the support systems families need. Because caring for those who care for others matters, too.
Thank you to Genuine Parts Company for hosting this important conversation and Huntington Bank for sponsoring our Healthcare Champions series. Together, we can help build healthier workplaces, stronger families and more supportive communities for Georgia’s aging population.
The future of aging at home starts with all of us!
Grateful our Healthcare Champions, with the generous support of event sponsor Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, brought together key community leaders, partners and distinguished guests for an important conversation about the future of healthcare and aging in Georgia.
Lead by nationally-recognized healthcare attorney Bill A. Dombi, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP (AGG), and Visiting Nurse President and CEO Dorothy Davis, this important conversation investigated how healthcare, business, philanthropy and public policy can work together to strengthen the infrastructure, innovation and partnerships that help Georgians age safely, independently and with dignity at home. Including Georgia`s healthcare community leaders, changemakers and valued community partners in attendance, the room was filled with people committed to shaping what comes next.
Thank you to all of our guests who joined the conversation, with a very special thank you to Bill Dombi for leading the day`s event. Thank you to our host Arnall Golden Gregory LLP for sponsoring this important event.
#VisitingNurseHealthSystem #HealthcareChampions #AgingAtHome #HealthcareLeadership #GeorgiaHealthcare #HospiceCare
Happy National Case Management Week!
And a little appreciation goes a long way, as Phillip Walters, of Hospice Atlanta, made life a little sweeter joining Northside Hospital’s Case Management Vendor Event! Sharing important resources and information on critical care, a great time was had celebrating these dedicated case managers who make a difference for patients and families every day.
Thank you for all you do, and a shout out to our local Scrumpt bakery for helping make their special week even sweeter! #NationalCaseManagementWeek #HospiceAtlanta
⭐ Camp STARS 2026 is getting ready to shine! ⭐
Our Camp STARS volunteers and facilitators came together Saturday for a meaningful training workshop to prepare for our campers this November!
From learning and sharing ideas, together our volunteers planned grief-group activities designed to help children and families connect, express their feelings and grow through their journeys of grief. 💙
Prepared for Camp weekend, filled with moments that matter, these dedicated leaders are ready to make Camp STARS a meaningful and memorable experience for our families.
Thank you to our amazing Camp STARS volunteers and facilitators for showing up with heart and purpose!
We’re so grateful for the heart, creativity and compassion our Camp STARS volunteers bring to this special weekend. ⭐
#CampStars#hospiceatlanta#visitingnursehealthsystem#campvolunteers#griefsupport#MakingADifference
