Hospice care in Lee County

What is hospice care in Florida?

Hospice is comfort-focused care for a person with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course, provided by an AHCA-licensed hospice team of nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers.

AHCA's locator lists 3 licensed hospices with a Lee County office: Heart'N Soul Hospice of Fort Myers, LLC, Hope Hospice and Community Services Inc, Safe Harbor Hospice LLC. Hospices based in neighboring counties may also serve Lee County addresses.

Where can hospice care be provided in Lee County?

Hospice can be provided at home, in an assisted living facility under s. 429.26 when the facility, resident and physician agree, in a nursing home, or in a hospice inpatient unit for symptoms that cannot be managed elsewhere.

Hospice in an ALF often lets a resident stay in familiar surroundings instead of moving to a nursing home.

What does hospice cost in Florida?

For people with Medicare, the hospice benefit covers the team, medications and equipment related to the terminal illness with little or no cost, but not room and board in a facility.

Medicaid and most private insurance also cover hospice. A person may stop hospice at any time and return to regular coverage.

How do I choose a hospice in Lee County?

Ask about after-hours response times, how often nurses and aides visit, whether the hospice has an inpatient unit, and what respite and bereavement support it gives families.

You may change hospices once per benefit period.

When should a family ask about hospice?

Ask when treatment is no longer helping, hospital stays are becoming frequent, or a doctor says the person would not be surprising anyone by dying within six months; an evaluation commits you to nothing.

Starting hospice earlier usually means more weeks of support, not fewer.

Can hospice help a Lee County family caring at home?

Yes: hospice teams visit on a schedule, answer calls around the clock, supply equipment and medications related to the illness, and offer short inpatient respite stays so family caregivers can rest.

Hospice does not usually provide round-the-clock aides at home; families often add private home care.

Where in Lee County is hospice care licensed?

AHCA's records show 3 hospice care licenses in Lee County; the table shows how they are spread by community (agencies and hospices have no bed count).