Jimmy Carter enters hospice care. What is it?

The Carter Center said in a statement Saturday that the 98-year-old Carter “decided to spend the remainder of her time at home with her family and receive hospice care rather than additional medical intervention.”

What is hospice care?

Hospice care is a treatment designed to make patients comfortable and reduce pain and suffering during their final days. It is usually home-based, but may also be provided in nursing homes, hospitals, and hospice centers. It is reserved for people who have been declared seriously ill by two physicians, with six months or less to live.

The average time spent in hospice is about three weeks, said Dr. Arif Kamal, chief patient officer for the American Cancer Society.

How are hospice patients cared for?

Care may include medication, but only to reduce symptoms, with no intention of curing a disease.

Patients are usually cared for by family members, under the supervision of hospice doctors, nurses, and social workers. Kamal said much of the focus is on making sure family caregivers feel supported.

The team “addresses everything from physical symptoms to emotional distress, helping to think through logistics related to burials, wills and advanced care planning,” he said.

Who is eligible for hospice care?

Under Medicare rules, patients can enroll in hospice if they meet certain criteria based on their illness. For example, cancer patients must be unable to perform at least two common activities of daily living without help, such as eating or dressing, among other challenges that may include evidence that the disease is widespread. Has gone and despite treatment, his health is declining.

It is unclear what led to Carter’s decision to enter hospice care, but within the past several years he has been treated for metastatic skin cancer and injuries sustained from a fall.

Modeled after UK programs, the hospice movement originated in the United States in the late 1970s during Carter’s presidency.