Still, if you took a poll you would find that no one wants to think about dying. But dying is a fact of life – The Bible tells us ‘Just as people are destined to die once’(Hebrews 9:27) and we will all go to our eternal destination at our appointed time.

Life ends in many different fashions, many of which are quick, leaving no time for planning or arrangements. Fortunately, for those who think well ahead there are services that you can take advantage of for yourself or other loved ones which will greatly ease departure on all involved in the case of slower acting, terminal illnesses.

If our impending death will come about from a serious illness, such as cancer, we often time have some time emotionally and physically to prepare for the passing. One of the best resources available to help patients and their families and loved ones cope with the dying process, once the attending physician has determined that life will most likely not extend past six months, is through Hospice Insurance.

Hospice was originally developed by Medicare to provide support and comfort (palliative) to the patient and his/her family. It is less costly for the insurer to pay benefits for providing comfort than to pay benefits for desperate, last ditch attempts through medical care to cure the patient, when there’s little hope of success. These days, a myriad of private health insurance companies offer this type of coverage. No one can force a patient into enrolling in hospice – it must be a decision made by you and your family.If you feel the need and desire to still receive medical care with the hope of a cure up until your last breath, that is certainly your right and you may do so. The important thing to remember is you cannot be enrolled and covered by hospice insurance AND on a medical insurance plan at the same time.

From past conversations I’ve had with clients, I have learned that there are many misconceptions regarding hospice care. Some people believe that once you are on hospice, you cannot go to the hospital again, you cannot call 911 in an emergency, or you cannot try a new type of treatment to try to cure your ailment. All of these are not true. The fact is, hospice can be revoked by you and restarted by you at any time. This means that you can go back to your regular health insurance benefits any time you choose to try a treatment, and then go back on hospice if necessary.

Hospice provides many benefits to the patient and his/her family, including home visits by a licensed healthcare practitioner (such as a psychiatric nurse or social worker or counselor), who is part of your particular hospice’s network of providers. They help with feeding, dressing, bathing, reading to the patient, and can even run errands and do laundry. Ultimately, hospice provides grief support for the caregiver and family following the death of the patient.

Many people find hospice to be a Godsend. A special woman I worked with for many years succumbed to cancer 2 years ago. She bravely hung on to the hope of life until the very end – but during her last month of life, her husband opted to enroll her in hospice when the doctors said there was nothing further they could do. Hospice was a tremendous help to her and her family. They installed a hospital bed in her home, making the care giving easier. After she passed away, they continued to provide grief support and counseling to her husband and daughter, for quite some time afterwards. The family was extremely thankful for the wonderful and caring ways of the hospice team.