Hospice care is often provided wherever a patient calls home. But there may be times when pain or other symptoms become too difficult to manage safely and effectively in that setting.
A sudden increase in pain, severe nausea, breathing difficulties, agitation, seizures, or another acute change may require more intensive symptom management than routine hospice visits can provide. In those situations, short-term inpatient hospice care may become appropriate.
The ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit provides a higher level of hospice care for patients whose symptoms require more intensive support. Understanding when inpatient care may be appropriate can help patients and families know what this level of care is designed to provide and what happens when symptoms improve.
Table of Contents
- What Is the ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit?
- When Does a Patient Qualify for Inpatient Hospice Care?
- Symptoms That May Require Inpatient Care
- Does a Diagnosis Automatically Qualify a Patient?
- What Happens During an Inpatient Stay?
- How Long Does a Patient Stay in the Inpatient Unit?
- Inpatient Care vs. Continuous Care
- What About Respite Care?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Understanding When More Support May Be Needed
What Is the ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit?
The ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit is a specialized, short-term care setting for hospice patients whose symptoms have become too complex to manage in their current home setting.
This level of care provides continuous medical oversight and more intensive symptom management during periods when a patient’s condition requires additional support.
The goal of an inpatient stay is not to permanently move a patient out of their home. Instead, the focus is on managing difficult symptoms, helping the patient become more comfortable, and determining when their needs can once again be supported in their usual care setting.
When Does a Patient Qualify for Inpatient Hospice Care?
A patient may qualify for general inpatient hospice care when pain or other acute or chronic symptoms cannot be effectively managed in another setting.
The need for inpatient care is based on the patient’s current symptoms and the intensity of care required to manage them. It is not based on diagnosis alone.
For example, a patient may already be receiving routine hospice care at home when their symptoms suddenly worsen. If changes to medications, additional visits, or other measures in the home are not enough to manage those symptoms, the hospice team may determine that a short-term inpatient stay is appropriate.
Once the patient’s symptoms are stabilized and can be managed outside the inpatient setting, the patient can return to their home setting with continued hospice support.
Symptoms That May Require Inpatient Care
ProCare Hospice of Nevada identifies several conditions and symptoms that may require the more intensive support available through its Inpatient Unit.
These can include:
- Uncontrolled pain
- Seizures
- Respiratory failure
- End-stage renal disease
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Intestinal obstruction
- Complex wound care needs
- Severe nausea or vomiting
- Ascites
- Severe anxiety
- Emotional or physical agitation
These are examples of situations in which inpatient care may be appropriate. The presence of one of these conditions does not automatically mean a patient needs to be admitted.
The hospice team considers how severe the symptoms are, whether they can be managed in the patient’s current setting, and what level of care is needed to restore comfort.
Does a Diagnosis Automatically Qualify a Patient?
No. Inpatient hospice care is based on the patient’s symptoms and care needs rather than the diagnosis by itself.
Two people with the same terminal illness may need very different levels of care. One patient’s symptoms may remain well-managed through routine hospice visits at home, while another may experience an acute change that requires more intensive monitoring and symptom management.
This is why conditions such as respiratory failure or end-stage renal disease may be associated with inpatient care without automatically requiring an inpatient stay.
The question is not simply, “What diagnosis does the patient have?”
It is whether the patient’s pain or other symptoms can currently be managed effectively in another setting.
What Happens During an Inpatient Stay?
During a stay at the ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit, care focuses on managing the symptoms that led to the patient’s admission and helping restore comfort.
ProCare’s interdisciplinary inpatient team includes Registered Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistants, hospice-trained physicians, Social Workers, Chaplains, trained volunteers, and Bereavement Counselors.
Depending on the patient’s needs, care may involve monitoring symptoms, adjusting medications, providing nursing care, addressing physical discomfort, and providing emotional or spiritual support.
The patient’s plan of care continues to guide treatment throughout the inpatient stay.
How Long Does a Patient Stay in the Inpatient Unit?
General inpatient hospice care is designed to be short-term.
There is no single number of days that applies to every patient. The length of the stay depends on how long the patient continues to require symptom management that cannot be provided effectively in another setting.
Once symptoms are stabilized and the patient’s needs can again be managed outside the inpatient unit, the patient can return to their home setting with continued support from the hospice team.
This is an important difference between inpatient hospice care and long-term residential care. The ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit is intended to provide a higher level of care during periods when symptoms require more intensive management.
Inpatient Care vs. Continuous Care
Inpatient care is not the only option when a hospice patient experiences a medical crisis.
ProCare Hospice of Nevada also provides continuous care for certain short-term crises that can be managed in the patient’s home.
Continuous care may be appropriate for symptoms such as uncontrolled pain, respiratory distress, or severe anxiety when the patient needs more intensive bedside support for several hours. This care may be provided for up to 24 hours a day when appropriate until the patient’s condition stabilizes.
General inpatient care becomes appropriate when the patient’s symptoms require a level of management that cannot be effectively provided in the home or another setting.
The hospice team evaluates the patient’s condition to determine which level of care is appropriate for their current needs.
What About Respite Care?
The ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit may also be used for respite care, but respite care serves a different purpose than general inpatient care.
General inpatient care is provided because the patient’s symptoms require more intensive management.
Respite care is designed to provide temporary relief for a patient’s primary caregiver.
Eligible hospice patients may stay at the ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit for up to five days for respite care, giving caregivers time to rest or attend to personal needs while the patient continues to receive hospice care.
A patient does not need to be experiencing uncontrolled symptoms to receive respite care. The reason for the stay is different, even though care may be provided in the same inpatient setting.
When Symptoms Require More Support
A change in symptoms does not always mean a patient needs to leave home. Hospice care includes different levels of support, and the appropriate level can change as the patient’s condition changes.
When pain or other symptoms become too difficult to manage in the patient’s current setting, the ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit provides short-term, more intensive care focused on stabilizing symptoms and restoring comfort.
Once those symptoms can be managed outside the inpatient setting, hospice care can continue wherever the patient calls home.
If your loved one is currently receiving hospice care and you are concerned about worsening pain, breathing difficulties, severe anxiety, agitation, nausea, or another change in symptoms, contact ProCare Hospice of Nevada at 702.380.8300. The care team can assess the situation and help determine the appropriate level of support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a patient need to be in the final days of life to receive inpatient hospice care?
No. Inpatient hospice care is based on the patient’s need for short-term, intensive pain or symptom management. A patient does not need to be in the final days of life for this level of care to become appropriate.
Can a family request that a patient be admitted to the ProCare Hospice Inpatient Unit?
Families should contact the ProCare Hospice of Nevada care team if symptoms become difficult to manage or if they are concerned about a change in the patient’s condition. The hospice team can assess the patient’s needs and determine which level of care is appropriate.
Can a patient stay in the Inpatient Unit permanently?
General inpatient hospice care is intended for short-term management of symptoms that cannot be effectively managed elsewhere. Once the patient’s symptoms stabilize and can be managed in another setting, the patient can return to their home setting with continued hospice care.
What if symptoms suddenly get worse at home?
ProCare Hospice of Nevada provides 24/7 access to an on-call nurse for urgent needs and concerns. Patients and caregivers should contact ProCare when there is a significant change in symptoms so the hospice team can provide guidance and assess whether a different level of care may be needed.
Is inpatient hospice care the same as respite care?
No. General inpatient care is used when a patient’s pain or symptoms require intensive management that cannot be provided in another setting. Respite care provides a temporary break for the patient’s primary caregiver and may last up to five days.
What kinds of conditions may require inpatient hospice care?
ProCare identifies uncontrolled pain, seizures, respiratory failure, end-stage renal disease, uncontrolled bleeding, intestinal obstruction, complex wound care, severe nausea or vomiting, ascites, severe anxiety, and emotional or physical agitation among the situations that may require inpatient support. Whether a patient needs inpatient care depends on the severity of their symptoms and whether those symptoms can be managed effectively in another setting.
Back To Top
