Understanding hospice care without the confusion
Comprehensive support materials and expert guidance when you need it most.
Why healthcare professionals choose THP
The truth about hospice: At Texas Hospice Providers, we want families to understand that hospice is not about giving up—it’s about focusing on comfort, dignity, and quality of life. Too many families wait until the final days because of misunderstandings about what hospice actually provides. We’re here to change that narrative with honest, compassionate education.
Common misconceptions we address
We are here to guide families through this journey with compassion, clarity, and care—because understanding your options shouldn’t add to your stress.
Myth Hospice is only for the final days
Reality Hospice isn't just for the final days. Starting earlier means more support and a better quality of life. Medicare covers hospice for patients with a 6-month prognosis, giving families precious time to focus on what matters most.
Myth Hospice means no medical care
Reality Hospice provides comprehensive medical care focused on comfort rather than cure. You receive skilled nursing care, medications, medical equipment, and 24/7 support.
Myth Choosing hospice means giving up hope
Reality Choosing hospice doesn't mean giving up hope. It means shifting that hope toward comfort and peace. Hope for pain-free days and meaningful conversations, surrounded by love.
Myth Hospice is only for cancer patients
Reality Hospice is for anyone with a life-limiting illness, not just cancer patients. We serve patients with dementia, heart disease, COPD, kidney failure, and many other conditions.
Frequently asked questions
General Hospice Care
Financial & Insurance
Care Delivery & Team Support
Family & Caregiver Support
Medical Care & Symptom Management
Spiritual & Emotional Support
Specialized Services
General Hospice Care
Hospice care is about comfort, dignity, and cherishing the precious moments that remain. It’s a compassionate approach to healthcare that focuses on providing comfort, dignity, and support for individuals facing life-limiting illnesses. Unlike other forms of care that try to cure illness, we focus on helping patients feel as comfortable, peaceful, and deeply supported as possible – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It prioritizes quality of life over curative treatments, wrapping the entire family in support during life’s most sacred time.
Palliative care can start earlier in an illness and may still include treatments to try to cure or manage the disease. Hospice care begins when a patient has a terminal illness and is no longer seeking curative treatment, focusing entirely on comfort and quality of life. Both focus on your wellbeing, but hospice is specifically designed for life’s final chapter with compassionate, personalized care.
The right time is when comfort and quality of life become more important than aggressive treatments – when being surrounded by love matters more than medical procedures. If your loved one has been told they may have six months or less to live, hospice can help them and you navigate this tender season with the comprehensive support and guidance you both deserve.
A person may qualify for hospice if they have a life-limiting illness and their doctor believes they may have six months or less to live if the disease follows its natural course. We work in collaboration with your primary doctor to ensure continuity of care by developing a personalized plan to address pain and ensure comfort.
Based on Medicare guidelines, hospice care is appropriate for patients with a 6-month prognosis if their disease runs its natural course. Common diagnoses include cancer (all types), dementia/Alzheimer’s, heart disease and CHF, liver disease, pulmonary disease and COPD, HIV/AIDS, neurological diseases (ALS, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis), muscular dystrophy, kidney failure, and stroke or coma.
You can call us directly at any time, or ask your loved one’s doctor, hospital, or care facility to send a referral on your behalf. We’ll compassionately handle all the paperwork, verify eligibility with insurance, and schedule a gentle in-home assessment to begin personalized care within 2 hours. You don’t have to navigate this overwhelming journey alone.
Same-day admission is available, with our standard timeline being just 2 hours from your first call to having a care team at your door. We understand that hospice decisions often can’t wait.
Our streamlined process includes: referral received via phone, email, or secure form; clinical team eligibility review; family contact within hours; comprehensive admission visit with care plan development within 2 hours; and immediate 24/7 support activation.
As long as the patient meets the medical criteria, there is no limit to how long hospice care can continue. We regularly assess the patient’s condition with compassion and can re-certify eligibility as needed, ensuring continuous support for as long as you need us.
Yes, absolutely. Patients can discontinue hospice at any time if their condition improves or if they wish to pursue curative treatment again. They can also return to hospice care later if needed. Your loved one maintains complete control over their care decisions throughout this journey. We respect your right to make decisions about your care and will coordinate the transition if needed.
Not at all! Hospice is about redefining hope for comfort, peace, dignity, and precious quality time with loved ones. It’s a meaningful shift from curative care to comfort-focused care that honors the person and their journey. It’s not giving up, it’s choosing how you want to live these remaining days with intention and love.
We maintain lower caseloads for personalized attention, our leadership team makes house calls and knows patients personally, we’re locally owned and operated, and we partner with families rather than following standardized corporate protocols. We focus on building genuine relationships and providing individualized care that reflects each family’s unique needs and preferences.
Financial & Insurance
Yes, and this brings tremendous relief to families. Hospice care is fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans. This includes all care, medications, equipment, and support related to the terminal diagnosis, typically with little to no out-of-pocket costs for your family. Our staff can guide you through the financial aspects, ensuring that you can focus on your loved one without added stress about costs or paperwork.
There are no costs for our initial consultation and assessment. Medicare and most insurance plans cover hospice services. We handle all insurance coordination so families can focus on what matters most.
Care Delivery & Team Support
Our interdisciplinary team feels like an extended family working together for your loved one. It includes experienced nurses, a compassionate doctor, certified aides who provide gentle care, a social worker for emotional and practical support, a chaplain for spiritual guidance, and dedicated volunteers. This caring team works together seamlessly to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and families.
We specialize in home-based care, bringing comfort to wherever you call home—your house, assisted living, or skilled nursing facility. We also coordinate inpatient care when intensive symptom management is needed. Hospice care can be provided wherever the patient calls home and feels most comfortable – private residences, assisted living communities, or nursing facilities. We bring comprehensive care and heartfelt support directly to them, creating a peaceful environment in familiar surroundings.
Hospice provides comprehensive care including skilled nursing, personal care assistance, pain and symptom management, medical equipment and supplies, medications related to your diagnosis, social work support, chaplain services, and 24/7 on-call support. This includes regular nurse visits, all necessary medications for comfort, medical equipment like hospital beds and oxygen, assistance from caring aides, spiritual care tailored to your beliefs, comprehensive emotional support, and help for your whole family.
Visit frequency is adjusted based on your symptoms, decline, family needs, and physician recommendations. We maintain lower caseloads to ensure each visit is meaningful and unhurried.
We provide 24/7 nursing support with emergency home visits typically within 1-2 hours. Our continuous care service offers 8-24 hours of direct nursing when symptoms become too severe for routine visits. We provide 24/7 on-call nursing support for symptom management, medication needs, or any emergencies that arise.
We can adjust care levels immediately—from routine home care to continuous care or inpatient care as needed. Our rapid response team can usually arrange intensive support within hours of identifying the need.
Yes, maintaining trusted relationships is important. Patients may continue seeing their own primary care physician, who can work in close partnership with the hospice team, or they may choose the hospice medical director as their attending physician – whatever feels most comfortable for your family.
We work closely with your existing healthcare team, including primary care physicians, specialists, and other providers to ensure seamless care coordination and maintain important relationships.
Family & Caregiver Support
Families are at the heart of everything we do, and your wellbeing matters deeply to us. We provide caregiver support, education, counseling, spiritual guidance that honors your beliefs, and even short breaks (respite care) when needed to help you rest and recharge. We offer caregiver training, emotional support through social workers and chaplains, respite care options, and 24/7 on-call access. We understand that supporting caregivers is essential to caring for patients. We’re here for you, too, every step of the way.
Absolutely. Families are essential care team members, not visitors. We provide regular updates, hands-on training, and involve you in all care planning decisions because you know your loved one best.
Respite care provides up to 5 consecutive days of inpatient care, giving family caregivers time to rest and recharge. We handle all arrangements and ensure your loved one receives the same compassionate attention.
Yes, always. Families are never alone during this journey; we’re just a phone call away, ready to provide immediate guidance and comfort when you need it most.
Medical Care & Symptom Management
We specialize in compassionate comfort care. Our skilled nurses and doctors work closely together to keep pain and symptoms expertly controlled, whether that’s with carefully chosen medications, comfort equipment, or gentle care techniques. We prioritize effective pain management through skilled nursing assessment, physician coordination, comfort kits, and 24/7 medication management. Our goal is ensuring comfort and dignity at all times and to keep each moment as peaceful and comfortable as possible for your loved one.
We provide comprehensive medicine to manage pain, anxiety, nausea, breathing trouble, and any other symptoms that affect comfort. Our goal is to keep the patient as comfortable and peaceful as possible, and we adjust treatments thoughtfully as their needs change throughout their journey.
We maintain partnerships with trusted durable medical equipment providers to ensure timely access to hospital beds, wheelchairs, oxygen equipment, and other comfort items needed for home care.
We provide comfort kits with essential medications, coordinate with pharmacies for timely delivery, and our nurses are available 24/7 to assess medication needs and coordinate with physicians for adjustments.
Yes, our certified nursing assistants and hospice aides provide personal care assistance including bathing, grooming, mobility support, and other activities of daily living.
Spiritual & Emotional Support
While we are a faith-based, Christian-informed hospice, we honor and respect all beliefs and backgrounds. Our chaplains offer inclusive, nonjudgmental support for families of any faith or no faith. We offer chaplain services, professional grief counseling, and emotional support carefully tailored to each family’s beliefs and preferences, whether faith-based or not. Our care honors each person’s values, traditions, and emotional needs without judgment, providing comfort that feels right for your family.
When a patient passes, our team provides immediate, gentle support: A nurse will come promptly to pronounce death with dignity and compassion. We assist the family with next steps, including contacting a funeral home and handling arrangements. We offer emotional comfort and presence during those first difficult hours. We begin bereavement care for surviving loved ones right away.
We continue caring for families after a loss because grief doesn’t end when hospice care does. We provide 13 months of bereavement support including individual grief counseling, support groups, special outreach for holidays and anniversaries, and age-appropriate resources for children. For up to 13 months, we offer grief counseling, regular check-ins, helpful resources about the grief process, and special support during holidays or anniversaries. Our chaplains and counselors are here to help families find peace, healing, and adjustment in the months that follow.
We respect and accommodate diverse religious and cultural practices, working with families to ensure care aligns with their values and traditions. Our team is trained to provide culturally sensitive care that honors each family’s unique background.
Specialized Services
Yes, we are developing specialized veteran services including understanding of military culture, assistance accessing VA benefits, coordination with VA healthcare providers, and support for service-related trauma. We honor the service of our veterans and their families with specialized care that recognizes their unique experiences.
We tailor our care approach based on each patient’s specific diagnosis and needs, whether it’s cancer, heart disease, dementia, or other conditions. Our team has expertise in managing the unique symptoms and challenges associated with different terminal illnesses.
As a locally owned and operated hospice, we have the flexibility to develop specialized programs based on our community’s needs. We focus on maintaining smaller caseloads, providing leadership accessibility, and creating personalized care experiences that larger corporate hospices often cannot offer.
Complete hospice care, wherever you call home
Whether you’re in your family home, assisted living, or skilled nursing facility, we bring the same compassionate care to wherever you call home. Location doesn’t limit love—and it doesn’t limit our commitment to your comfort.
