Can someone explain what hospice is/does?

[radical noodle]

5. We had hospice care for my father

and also my mother-in-law. In most cases, being in a hospice program gives people a much better quality of life and sometimes gives them a little longer life without the side effects of chemo or radiation. I would advise doing it as soon as possible. Too many people wait until the last few days to do it when there's so little left to do. My father was helped enormously by hospice coming to his home.

The last I knew, the only basic requirements to get into a hospice program were to have a terminal diagnosis with a prognosis of no more than six months to live and to be ready to accept only palliative care. They never complain if the patient lives longer than that, but it's a guideline they use to sign people up. It's possible that different states do it a little differently.

They normally do a lot more than just pain meds, so I hope they are able to help you. I'm sorry you're going through this.