So here’s a scenario I’ve seen play out more than once:

I introduce our palliative care service as a means to provide more support alongside disease-focused treatments.

The patient says, “Hey that’s great! Can I get palliative care at home?”

I say, “Sure! Let’s get you that referral”

The patient goes home. Some months go by and they are back in the hospital for one reason or another. I ask them, “Hey how’s the palliative care at home been going?”

And the patient tells me that they never heard from the palliative group. They did happen to hear from a HOSPICE group, but that’s not what they wanted so they hung up on them.

PSA: In the US, *hospice* agencies are one of the largest providers of *palliative* care services!

Hospice is great support for people who want a dedicated team to manage symptoms and other important issues related to the quality of their life – provided that person is expected to live no longer than 6 months AND no longer receiving treatment for their disease.

But hospice providers realize that people who are still receiving treatment for their disease ALSO benefit from having a team dedicated to the quality of their life.

Recognizing this need, hospices have been expanding for years to bring palliative care support to their communities.

That means if you get a referral for palliative care support, you may get a call from a hospice!

So if this ever happens to you — before you hang up on that hospice, confirm what service they are calling about. Ask them to verify what the referral order says — it will clearly state either palliative care or hospice care. If it says palliative care then you are good to go, but if it says hospice you’ll probably need to circle back with your doctor and ask them to re-send the order and to make sure it says palliative care.

Hope this helps you advocate for the support you need!