Winston-Salem Senior AdvisorSee Medicare's record for each agency: Medicare quality scores for all 3 hospices in Winston-Salem.
What is hospice care?
Hospice is comfort-focused care for someone whose doctor expects a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course, provided by a team of nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers.
The goal is comfort and quality of life rather than cure, with support for the family as well.
Who pays for hospice?
Medicare's hospice benefit pays for the hospice team, comfort medications, equipment and supplies; NC Medicaid and most private insurance cover hospice as well.
Room and board in a nursing home or adult care home is not part of the hospice benefit.
Where does hospice care happen?
Wherever the person lives: at home, in an adult care home or family care home, or in a nursing home, with short inpatient stays at a hospice home such as the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston-Salem when symptoms need closer care.
Families can change hospice providers or stop hospice if goals change.
How do we choose a hospice around Winston-Salem?
Ask how quickly a nurse comes at night or on weekends, how often visits happen, where inpatient care takes place, and what support is offered to the family after a death.
Ask the hospital or the doctor which hospices they work with most.
When should a family ask about hospice?
Earlier than most do: when treatments are no longer helping or are causing more burden than benefit, when hospital visits are becoming frequent, or when a person says they want to focus on comfort.
A hospice will meet with the family to explain the benefit without any commitment.
Which hospices have offices in the Winston-Salem area?
10 hospice licenses have offices in the five counties: Alderwood of Davidson County (Lexington), Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home (Winston-Salem), Liberty Home Care and Hospice (Thomasville), Mountain Valley (Yadkinville), Trellis Supportive Care (Mocksville), Trellis Supportive Care (Walnut Cove), Trellis Supportive Care (Winston-Salem), Well Care Hospice, Inc. (Advance).
Hospices often serve patients across several counties from one office.
How is hospice spread across the five counties?
This is how the state's files distribute hospice across Forsyth, Davidson, Davie, Stokes and Yadkin counties; agencies have no beds to count.
| County | Licenses | Licensed beds |
|---|---|---|
| Forsyth County | 2 | 0 |
| Davidson County | 3 | 0 |
| Davie County | 2 | 0 |
| Stokes County | 1 | 0 |
| Yadkin County | 2 | 0 |
What it is, and what it is not
| Hospice in North Carolina is | Hospice in North Carolina is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | People with a life expectancy of six months or less | Only the last days of life |
| Where | Home, adult care home, nursing home or hospice home | Only in a hospital |
| Medicare | Pays the team, comfort medicines and equipment | Pays room and board |
