Agencies: Awareness driving increase in hospice care

Two agencies cared for 321 patients in '06

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Tending to the dying has become a way of life for many caring individuals in North Carolina, recent data shows.

The number of dying patients across the state served by hospices has more than doubled in the past five years, according to data from The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care, a trade group for hospice providers. More than 30 percent of all North Carolina deaths were served by hospices in fiscal year 2006.

The number of patients served by local hospices has increased as well. Albemarle Hospice served 231 patients in seven counties in 2006, up from 182 patients the year before. Community Home Care and Hospice, which opened in Elizabeth City in early 2006, served another 90 patients.

"There is more awareness in the general public for hospice services," said Ginger Parrish, director of Albemarle Home Care and Albemarle Hospice.

Cindy Hale, director of marketing for Community Health Inc. said Community Hospices have seen an increase in the number of patients served as well. She said the more the public is educated about hospice care, the more referrals result.

Both Parrish and Hale said hospice care is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and many health insurance plans. Both Albemarle Hospice and Community Hospice have also taken on patients without insurance.

While the majority of patients Albemarle Hospice serves suffer from cancer, Parrish said the hospice has begun to treat more and more patients with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease).

In order to qualify for hospice care, a physician must certify that a patient has less than six months to live if the disease takes its normal course, Parrish said. She also said the patient and his or her family have to be in agreement about seeking hospice care and can no longer seek curative treatments.

"Our goal is to enable the patients to have the absolute best quality of life possible for the time they have left," Parrish said.

Parrish said Albemarle Hospice has a full-time staff of more than a dozen and also relies on volunteers and nurses from Albemarle Home Care.

She said the recent increase in the demand for hospice care has caused the staff to expand. A program coordinator was recently hired and health care staff are always hard to come by, Parrish said.

Hale predicted the increased demand for hospice care would not only require more staff, but could lead to the development of more in-patient care, something that she said is not currently widespread in North Carolina.

"It's the next biggest trend," she said.

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