When you or your loved one are getting started with hospice, this can be a challenging period filled with complex emotions of anxiety and sadness. Many patients and families will have questions like what to expect and what hospice supplies.
At Inspire Hospice, we provide the medical supplies to make our patients comfortable so families don’t have to worry about supplies.
What are Medical Supplies?
Hospice medical supplies are generally one-time-use, easy to acquire, and often replaced. In most cases, the care team, including the nursing assistants, manages the medical supplies. They coordinate with the physicians and nurses to determine what supplies are needed, order and receive them, and ensure that the hospice never runs out.
Common medical supplies that are provided in hospice:
- Wound dressing supplies like bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, medical tape, cotton swabs, foam dressings, and much more
- Continence care supplies like adult diapers, briefs, chair pads, and pads
- Disposable medical supplies like gloves, exam gowns, masks, surgical sponges, wipes, needles, and syringes
- Oxygen tubing and other oxygen supplies
- Personal care products like shampoo, soap, body lotion, and barrier creams
- Cushions, wedges, trochanter rolls, hand rolls, and special cushions designed for pressure relief
- Catheters and catheter supplies
- Colostomy and colostomy supplies
Patients or families who want specific medical supplies are more than welcome to purchase their own.
What Medical Supplies Are Not Provided?
While hospice provides as much as possible, some supplies are not provided, such as curative treatments and medical supplies that are not deemed necessary for symptom management.
Other supplies that are not provided:
- Personal clothing
- Bedding
- Medication for unrelated conditions
This list will look different depending on which hospice provider is used.
Recommended Extra Supplies To Gather
There may be some extra supplies that should be gathered, like:
- Additional sheets
- Baby monitor, bell, and other wearable alerts for seniors
- Nightlights for the room
- Forehead thermometer
- Preferred foods like oatmeal, yogurts, pudding, and fruit puree (like applesauce)
- Nightshirts and nightgowns
Having these supplies on hand can make the transition to hospice care much smoother for patients as they settle in and medical supplies and equipment are delivered and ordered.
Who Pays for Medical Supplies at Hospice
Inspire Hospice will provide all medical supplies needed to carry out comfort care while receiving hospice care. No co-payment is needed. Medical supplies used for unrelated or curative purposes won’t be covered.
Unmatched Personal Care at Inspire Hospice
At Inspire Hospice, our dedicated care team is expert in using medical supplies and making sure our patients receive the highest quality of care. As a locally owned and operated hospice, we make decisions right here where it matters most, focus on our community’s needs, and treat each patient like family.
To learn more about our hospice care services, please contact our team at (404) 921-3341 to see why we’re the gold standard of hospice care. Our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.