If you are new to hospice, you might think that hospice care ends when the patient dies. While care for the patient ends at that time, hospice itself does not end. The patient’s surviving family members may continue to receive bereavement support for up to 12 months. Like the rest of hospice services, this benefit is covered by Medicare.
What Types of Bereavement Care are Available Through Hospice?
Here are some of the bereavement support services hospice can provide:
- Grief counseling
- Support groups
- Educational resources
- Memorial services
- Referrals for additional services outside of hospice
It is up to each individual family member which of these services they wish to avail themselves of, and how much they want to use them. Some family members may find some services more useful than others. One person might get more out of one-on-one counseling, while another might find support groups more beneficial, for example. The diverse range of resources and care ensures that everyone can access what they need.
Bereavement Support is Also Available While the Patient is Alive
While we are discussing bereavement care, it is important to note that you can use these hospice support services while your loved one is still alive as well.
When a death is not sudden, the grieving process does not begin at the moment of death. It may begin months or even years beforehand as you start to process what is to come. For many, anticipation of loss can be every bit as challenging emotionally as the eventual loss itself.
For that reason, you can begin grief counseling or make use of our other resources as soon as your loved one enters hospice.
The patient can also receive counseling during their time in hospice to help them process their emotions as they grieve the impending loss of their own life.
We Can Support You and Your Loved Ones Through This Time
Hospice care is for the entire family—the patient and their loved ones. Journey Palliative and Hospice is here to support all of you from the moment the patient enters hospice. For up to a year after your loved one dies, you are entitled to continuing bereavement support from our caring counselors. To learn more, please contact us at (818) 748-3427. We are based in Burbank and serve the surrounding area.
