Prepare for hospice care
Comfort, dignity, and support for the whole family.
You do not have to remember everything. That is what this list is for.
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Overview
Hospice is care focused on comfort and quality of life rather than cure. Families often say afterward that they wish they had started sooner. This guide helps you ask the questions that make the choice clearer.
What to expect
- A team including nurses, aides, social workers, and chaplains
- Care usually delivered wherever the person lives
- Equipment, medicines, and supplies related to comfort provided
- 24-hour phone support and bereavement support afterward
Questions to ask
What does hospice provide, and what remains our responsibility?
How quickly can someone come if things change at night?
What happens to current medicines and treatments?
Can we change our minds later?
Yes — hospice can be stopped or revoked at any time.
What support exists for the family, during and after?
In plain language, what is happening and why is it recommended now?
Plain language is your right. Ask again if the answer is technical.
What are my options, including waiting or doing nothing?
How will this change what I can do day to day, and for how long?
What should I do to prepare?
Who do I call with questions, and what number do I use after hours?
What would make you want to see me sooner?
This turns vague worry into a clear trigger for calling.
Interactive checklists
Check items off as you go. Progress is saved on this device so you can continue later.
Private to this device. Included when you print, export, or save to your Health Binder.
For caregivers and family
What caregivers can expect
- A long-term role rather than a single event
- Decisions that arrive without warning
- Your own health slipping down the list
How caregivers can help
- Keep one shared document with the plan and contacts
- Ask for a care conference when things change
- Accept specific offers of help — name the task
Questions caregivers should ask
- What resources exist for caregivers here?
- Who coordinates the whole picture?
- What should we plan for over the next six months?
Recovery and what happens next
Today
Name what you need.
- · List your top three worries
- · Gather documents in one place
- · Identify one person who can help
This month
Build the system.
- · Set up reminders and a calendar
- · Connect with a support resource
- · Book the appointments you have been postponing
Ongoing
Sustainable, not heroic.
- · Review the plan monthly
- · Protect your own rest and health
- · Update your Health Binder
Risks and warning signs
Possible risks to ask about
- Every procedure and medicine carries some risk — ask for yours in numbers, not adjectives
- Reactions to medicines, contrast, or anesthesia
- Infection
- Delays or the need for a repeat visit
Warning signs — call your clinician
- · Pain or breathlessness that is not controlled — call the hospice line, day or night
- · Caregiver exhaustion — respite care exists, ask for it
Follow-up care
- Set a recurring review date
- Keep one updated contact list
- Ask for a care plan copy after any change
Frequently asked questions
Helpful resources
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Prepare Me is educational preparation support from Phoenix Health Compass. It does not diagnose, recommend treatment, or replace the guidance of your clinician. Checklists and notes stay on this device unless you save or share them yourself.