What is Hospice?
Hospice care is specialized support for individuals with terminal illnesses who have chosen comfort-focused care over curative treatment. It centers on improving quality of life, relieving pain, managing symptoms, and supporting the emotional and spiritual needs of both the patient and their loved ones.
Hospice does not hasten or delay death; instead, it embraces life by helping patients live as fully and comfortably as possible during their final months. Services are delivered by an interdisciplinary team primarily in the patient’s home, but also in assisted living facilities, skilled nursing homes, or wherever care is needed.
Who Is Hospice Care For?
Hospice care is available to individuals who are facing a life-limiting illness and are ready to focus on comfort rather than cure. To qualify for the Medicare hospice benefit, all of the following must apply:
- You have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance).
- A hospice physician and your regular doctor (if you have one) certify that you have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less, if the disease runs its natural course.
- You choose comfort care (palliative care) instead of curative treatments.
- You sign a statement electing hospice care and agreeing to forego Medicare-covered treatments for your terminal condition.
Hospice care is designed for patients with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart failure, COPD, advanced dementia, or other end-stage conditions. If you're unsure whether hospice is appropriate, our team at Elevate Hospice can help guide you through the decision and eligibility process with compassion and clarity.
Where is Hospice Care Provided?
Hospice services are delivered wherever the patient calls home. We provide compassionate, personalized care in a wide range of settings in Phoenix and across Maricopa County, including at your home, assisted living homes, group homes, skilled nursing facilities, and independent living communities. Our interdisciplinary team brings hospice services directly to these locations to ensure patients receive high-quality comfort care in familiar, supportive environments. Whether it’s in the patient’s own home or a residential care setting, our goal is to preserve dignity, manage symptoms effectively, and support both the patient and family every step of the way.
What's Included in Hospice Care?
Our hospice and palliative care services include a wide range of support designed to meet each patient's medical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
About Us
Elevate Hospice and Palliative Care is founded and operated by health care professionals with decades of experience caring for people with serious chronic illness. Our passion is to provide our patients and their families with quality of life and comfort through this emotion-filled time. As our expertise is in home-based care of the elderly, we understand the specific needs of people at their most vulnerable state, and work with patients and families to raise the standard of care at the end of life.
The Hospice Interdisciplinary Team
The Elevate Hospice care team is made up of compassionate professionals who work together to provide physical, emotional, and spiritual support to both patients and families:
Hospice Physician
Oversees medical care, ensures eligibility, and supports the team 24/7. Coordinates with the patient’s primary doctor for symptom and pain management.
Hospice Nurse
Provides symptom relief, medication education, and teaches families how to care for their loved one confidently at home.
Social Worker
Assists with emotional, financial, and practical planning needs to support quality of life and family well-being.
Chaplain
Offers non-denominational spiritual and emotional support, respecting individual beliefs and traditions.
Hospice Aide
Helps with personal care such as bathing, grooming, toileting, and comfort measures.
Therapists
Physical, occupational, and speech therapy may be provided if appropriate.
Volunteers
Provide companionship, respite for caregivers, and assistance with activities like reading, conversation, or light personal care.
Bereavement Counselor
Supports families through grief before and after the patient’s death, offering ongoing follow-up for at least 12 months.
How to Get Started
1
Contact Elevate
Call us to speak with a member of our care team. We will answer your questions, explain how hospice or palliative care works, and help you understand whether it may be the right fit.
2
Request an Evaluation or Referral
If care seems appropriate, we will guide you through the referral process and arrange a medical evaluation. Referrals can come from your physician, but they can also be made by you, a family member, or a friend.
3
Begin Care
Once eligibility is confirmed, we coordinate everything needed to begin care. This includes creating a plan, delivering equipment and medications, and scheduling visits from our team. Services often begin the same day.
Hospice Levels of Care
Hospice care is not one-size-fits-all. Depending on your needs and condition, different levels of care may be provided to ensure the right support at the right time. Elevate Hospice offers all four Medicare-defined levels of hospice care, each designed to address specific medical, emotional, and family needs throughout your journey.
Routine Home Care
This is the most common level of hospice care and is delivered where the patient lives, either at home or in a nursing facility. Care is provided by the hospice team on a scheduled basis and can be increased as needed.
Inpatient Respite Care
Respite care is designed to give the family or caregiver a short break. It does not require the patient to meet criteria for acute care. It is offered for up to five consecutive days in a Medicare-certified nursing facility or hospice inpatient setting.
General Inpatient Care
This care is provided in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or hospice inpatient unit when symptoms or pain become too difficult to manage at home. The goal is to stabilize the patient and support the family before transitioning back home if possible. The hospice team determines the need for inpatient care and its duration. If hospitalization is required for issues unrelated to the terminal illness, Medicare Part A will apply.
Continuous Home Care
This level supports patients during intense periods of crisis at home. It includes at least 8 hours of care within a 24-hour period and is reassessed daily by the physician and care team to ensure appropriate support during short-term medical or emotional emergencies.
Personalized Hospice Care Plans By Condition
We know every condition is different and so is every patient. At Elevate Hospice, we provide care that meets the specific medical and emotional needs of each person and family. Our focus is comfort, understanding, and support when it matters most.
ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease)
Hospice care for ALS focuses on managing progressive muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, and communication challenges. Hospice provides comfort-focused support, respiratory assistance.
Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia
As memory fades and confusion increases, hospice provides gentle, personalized care tailored to cognitive decline. We offer a calming environment and help manage agitation and discomfort.
Cancer
For those facing advanced cancer, hospice care prioritizes pain relief, symptom control, and dignity. Our team works closely with patients and families to ensure each moment is as comfortable as possible.
Heart Diseases
Patients with congestive heart failure or other advanced cardiac conditions often experience fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling. Hospice care addresses these symptoms, reduces hospitalizations, and offers emotional support.
Kidney Failure
Patients with kidney failure often face symptoms like fatigue, confusion, swelling, and difficulty breathing. Hospice care helps manage these symptoms, reduces the need for frequent dialysis or hospital visits, and supports overall comfort.
Liver Failure
End-stage liver disease can cause pain, swelling, confusion, and other distressing symptoms. Hospice care brings expert management and comfort, helping patients find relief while providing families with essential support through a difficult journey.
COPD
Patients with advanced lung disease or COPD, breathing can become increasingly difficult and exhausting. Hospice care focuses on easing shortness of breath, managing anxiety, and supporting comfort at home or in a care setting.
Hospice Care vs. Palliative Care
Hospice Care
Definition: Hospice care is designed for individuals with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less, as certified by two physicians. At this stage, the focus shifts from curative treatment to comfort and quality of life.
Hospice allows patients to remain in familiar surroundings - whether at home, in a group home, assisted living, or nursing facility - while receiving expert support for pain and symptom management. Our team also provides emotional, spiritual, and practical support for both the patient and family, helping reduce stress and ease the caregiving burden during this deeply personal time.
At Elevate Hospice, we walk alongside families, honoring dignity and providing personalized care that supports living fully, even in the final months.
Eligibility: To qualify for hospice care with Elevate:
- The patient must have a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its natural course,
- They must choose comfort-focused (palliative) care instead of curative treatment,
- A formal election of hospice care must be signed, confirming the patient understands and accepts this focus of care.
Cost: Hospice care through Elevate is typically covered 100% by Medicare Part A, and we also accept some commercial insurance plans, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield. Covered services include medical equipment, medications related to the terminal diagnosis, nursing visits, social work, chaplain support, hospice aides, and bereavement care after the patient’s passing.
Palliative Care
Definition: Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, regardless of diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment stage. It focuses on relieving symptoms, improving comfort, and supporting emotional and spiritual well-being while patients continue curative or life-prolonging treatments.
Palliative care can begin at any time during an illness and is not limited to those nearing end of life. It is often ideal for those with chronic conditions like cancer, heart disease, COPD, dementia, or pain disorders, who need extra support managing complex symptoms.
At Elevate, our palliative care services are provided in the patient’s home or care facility and are coordinated with your existing doctors. We also offer caregiver coaching and emotional support, so families feel empowered and informed throughout the process.
Eligibility: There is no time limit or requirement of terminal prognosis. Palliative care can be started at any stage of a serious illness, at the discretion of the patient and physician.
Cost: Elevate’s palliative care services are covered by Medicare and some commercial insurance plans. Our team can help determine your coverage and guide you through the process.
Support Through Grief and Beyond
At Elevate Hospice & Palliative Care, we understand that the end of life is not only a medical journey, it’s an emotional one. For families and loved ones, this time can bring a wide range of emotions: sadness, uncertainty, overwhelm, and even relief. No matter what you’re feeling, you don’t have to face it alone.
Our team offers ongoing grief and bereavement support to help ease the emotional burden that can come before and after the loss of a loved one. From compassionate counseling to quiet spiritual presence, we are here to support both patients and families as they process the changes ahead.
We walk beside you not only during hospice care, but also in the days, weeks, and months that follow. Whether you need someone to talk to, guidance through difficult emotions, or help navigating life after loss, our goal is to create space for healing - at your own pace, and in your own way.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Hospice is not a specific place, it's a type of care focused on comfort and quality of life for those with terminal illnesses. At Elevate, services are primarily provided in the patient’s home, but can also be delivered in assisted living facilities, skilled nursing homes, group homes, or any setting the patient calls home.
It may be time for hospice when curative treatments are no longer effective or desired, and the patient has a life-limiting illness with a prognosis of six months or less. Common signs include frequent hospitalizations, worsening symptoms, or increased need for help with daily tasks. A physician and the hospice team can help determine eligibility.
Elevate covers medications related to the patient’s terminal diagnosis and symptom control. The hospice nurse manages these medications, educates the family on proper use, and ensures the patient’s comfort with the support of the physician and care team.
You play a vital role. Families are encouraged to be actively involved in care, and Elevate Hospice provides education, emotional guidance, and coaching to help you care confidently for your loved one. Volunteers and respite services are also available to give caregivers support and breaks when needed.
Yes. Elevate offers bereavement support for at least 12 months after a patient’s passing. Services include counseling, follow-up calls, grief resources, and support groups to help families navigate their loss.
While hospice focuses on comfort care rather than cure, treatments that support symptom control, like certain therapies or medications, may still be provided. Curative treatments for the terminal illness are no longer pursued once hospice is elected, but the interdisciplinary team works to ensure the patient remains as comfortable as possible.
Most patients at Elevate Hospice & Palliative Care have their services fully covered through the Medicare Hospice Benefit, which includes medical care, medications, equipment, and supplies. We also accept many commercial insurance plans, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, and offer private pay options for those without coverage. Our team will guide you through the process, confirm benefits, and ensure you understand any costs, so you can focus on what matters most.
Get Started with Care Today
Call (480) 800-4816 to speak with our team. We’ll help you understand your options, answer your questions, and begin the process if care is needed.