Hospice Care Enhances the End of Life
Gilchrist provides care that allows people to live every moment to the fullest, with comfort and dignity. Our focus is on providing high-quality care wherever our patients call home, with compassion guiding every step.
What Is Hospice Care?
Hospice care enhances the quality of life for people with life-limiting illnesses, while also providing support to caregivers. Choosing hospice does not mean giving up. Instead, it simply means shifting the focus of care to comfort and quality of life.
Founded in 1994, Gilchrist is Maryland’s largest hospice organization, providing comprehensive and compassionate care for people with serious illness and their families. We care for individuals with many conditions, including cancer and advanced heart, lung, kidney, or neurological disease. Our team of professionals and volunteers supports every need—medical, emotional, social, and spiritual. We serve adults and children, focusing on helping people live every moment to the fullest.
Do I Need Hospice?
These services are appropriate when a patient’s life expectancy is six months or less if the illness follows its usual path. We care for those with:
- Cancer
- End-stage heart and lung disease
- Kidney disease
- ALS and other neurological diseases
- Alzheimer’s disease
- AIDS
- Other life-limiting illnesses
Hospice Has Many Benefits
Gilchrist provides thorough, high-quality medical care delivered with compassion. Our skilled team supports patients with medications, symptom management, and daily activities. We care not only for the patient, but also for the family, offering guidance, comfort, and support throughout the journey.
How can hospice help you or your loved one?
- Expert symptom management to relieve pain and improve quality of life.
- Comprehensive care plans that reduce unnecessary hospital visits.
- 24/7 access to clinical support, with a nurse always on call.
- Education and guidance about disease progression, caregiving, and the end-of-life process.
- Respect for patient dignity, with involvement in all care and treatment decisions.
- Home delivery of medications, medical supplies, and equipment.
- Personal care and hygiene support from skilled hospice aides.
- Physical, emotional, social, and spiritual care tailored to each family’s needs.
- Assistance navigating benefits, resources, and health care decisions.
- Respite options to give family caregivers a needed break.
- Volunteer support.
- Extensive grief support for families before and after a loss.
Is Hospice Covered by Medicare?
Hospice is a Medicare entitlement, meaning most Medicare beneficiaries pay little or nothing for hospice care. Many private insurance plans also provide coverage. Covered services typically include:
- In-home visits from the full hospice interdisciplinary team
- Medications for pain relief, symptom management, and conditions related to the life-limiting illness
- Medical equipment and supplies
- Bereavement support services for families
- Inpatient hospice care when needed
- Respite care to provide temporary relief for caregivers
Where Is Hospice Provided?
Home Care
Home Care teams will work with caregivers to:
- Provide additional hands-on support through weekly nursing visits and personal care from hospice aides.
- Manage medications, pain, and other symptoms to ensure comfort and quality of life.
- Monitor your loved one’s physical condition and adjust the care plan as needed.
- Educate families about what to expect throughout the hospice journey.
- Offer emotional and spiritual support to help families navigate the intense feelings that often arise near the end of life.
- Arrange volunteer companionship when needed.
- Provide bedside presence from end-of-life doulas so no one dies alone and families feel supported during the most difficult moments.
Senior Living Community
Gilchrist Hospice Care – Senior Living Community teams will:
- Provide hands-on support through weekly nursing visits and personal care from hospice aides.
- Manage medications, pain, and other symptoms to ensure comfort.
- Monitor your loved one’s condition and update the care plan as needed.
- Educate families about what to expect throughout the hospice journey.
- Offer emotional and spiritual support to help you navigate the difficult feelings that may arise.
- Arrange volunteer companionship when needed.
- Provide bedside presence from end-of-life doulas so no one dies alone and families feel supported during the most challenging moments.
Care Center
Gilchrist’s inpatient centers are staffed around the clock by physicians, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers. Together, they provide compassionate, coordinated care for patients who need support beyond what can be managed at home.
Each of our three care centers is designed to feel warm and home-like, with comfortable private rooms, inviting common spaces, and tranquil décor. Families are welcome to visit at any time, day or night. (Pet visits require prior approval.) All centers are smoke-free.
Acute Inpatient Care
Round-the-clock acute inpatient care is available for patients with complex needs, including pain and other symptoms that cannot be safely managed at home. Patients receive continuous monitoring, skilled medical oversight, and timely adjustments to their care plan. Many individuals stay only briefly—just long enough to stabilize their symptoms before returning home.
Respite Care
Short-term respite care is provided at our care centers and select nursing facilities to give caregivers a needed break or time away from home. Most insurance plans allow up to five days of respite at a time, offering families peace of mind while their loved one is cared for by our team.
Residential Inpatient Care
Gilchrist Center Baltimore offers residential inpatient care for patients who need a safe living environment or who do not have an available caregiver. This level of care is provided around the clock and is less intensive than acute inpatient care, while still ensuring comfort, support, and meaningful connection.
Locations
View video tours of each of our inpatient care centers by visiting our locations page.
What Should I Expect with Hospice?
Whether your family chooses home care or inpatient care, you can expect comprehensive support. The Gilchrist team provides hands-on personal care, expert pain and symptom management, medications, medical supplies, and equipment—wherever your loved one is receiving care. Your family will receive education about:
- Disease progression
- Caring for your loved one and the dying process
- Help accessing benefits
- Navigating the health care system
- Decision making
Additional programs offered by Gilchrist include the Jewish Care and Support Program, Music Therapy, and We Honor Veterans. Our team is here to support your family throughout the hospice journey and continue that support after a loss.
Support From Your Hospice Care Team
Your hospice team works together to support your medical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. You and your loved ones are active partners in care, with decisions made together. A team member is available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In every way, Gilchrist is here to address all of your care needs.
Your Team Consists of:
Physician and/or the Gilchrist Medical Director
Physician and/or the Gilchrist Medical Director
Your loved one’s personal physician may continue to provide care alongside the hospice team, or you may choose to have a hospice medical director or nurse practitioner serve as the primary clinician.
Registered Nurse/Case Manager
Registered Nurse/Case Manager
All of our nurses are specially trained in end-of-life care. As case managers, they provide education, hands-on care, and expert guidance to manage pain and other symptoms, while supporting both your loved one and your family.
Certified Hospice Aides
Certified Hospice Aides
Our hospice aides provide compassionate personal care such as bathing, dressing, and other daily tasks while helping maintain your loved one’s dignity and independence.
Social Workers
Social Workers
Our social workers provide support and counseling for you and your family. They help with accessing resources, exploring alternative living arrangements, and addressing financial concerns. They can also assist with advance directives and funeral planning.
Chaplains
Chaplains
Our chaplains provide spiritual support and counseling based on your beliefs, practices, and needs. They listen, offer prayer when requested, help families reflect on what is most meaningful, and can collaborate with your personal clergy or congregation if desired.
Grief Counselors
Grief Counselors
Our master’s-trained grief counselors provide support before and after a loss. Gilchrist offers an extensive grief program that includes individual counseling, support groups, and healing events.
Volunteers
Volunteers
Our volunteers provide companionship, respite for caregivers, and help with errands. Our specially trained end-of-life doulas offer bedside presence in the hours before death, ensuring families feel supported and that no one dies alone.
Child Life Specialist (Gilchrist Kids)
Child Life Specialist (Gilchrist Kids)
Our child life specialists support the social and emotional needs of children, often using play and creative expression to help them understand and cope. They also work with siblings and other young family members affected by a child’s illness or impending death.
Caregiver Help in the Home
Avila*, a preferred provider for GBMC and Gilchrist, provides personalized home care to complement the full range of services Gilchrist offers. Learn more about Avila.
*Avila is a registered tradename and servicemark of Oak Farm Solutions, LLC.
Hospice Care Frequently Asked Questions
Hospice care focuses on enabling people to live their final days to the fullest, in peace and without pain. Gilchrist offers care in the place that provides the patient and family the most solace, which for many people is home. Hospice is a unique philosophy of care centered around enhancing quality of life for people with a life-limiting illness. We also provide support to caregivers and family members. Below are answers to frequently asked questions about hospice care.
Does hospice mean giving up hope?
No, you are merely choosing to change the focus of your care to comfort and quality of life. Studies have shown that people with life-limiting illnesses who enroll in hospice care live an average of 29 days longer than those who do not. The increase is most often due to the coordination of care hospice provides, and because they are no longer receiving advanced treatments that place added stress on the body. Hospice is not about giving up. It is about living your last days, weeks, and months to the fullest, and taking the time to spend precious moments with loved ones.
Is hospice only for people with cancer?
No. Any individual with a life-limiting diagnosis who lives in our service area is eligible for hospice care. We provide care to individuals with cancer, end-stage heart and lung disease, kidney disease, ALS and other neurological diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, AIDS, and other life-limiting illnesses.
Will you come to my home, nursing home, senior living community, retirement facility or assisted living facility?
Yes. Gilchrist provides hospice care wherever you reside–at home, in nursing homes, senior living communities, retirement facilities, or assisted living facilities. If more intense medical intervention is needed, individuals may be admitted to one of our home-like hospice care centers. We have three care centers: Gilchrist Center Towson, Gilchrist Center Howard County, and Gilchrist Center Baltimore.
When should I talk with my doctor/loved one about hospice care?
Early and often. It’s important to have courageous conversations with your family and your doctor about your life-limiting diagnosis and care options. These conversations should occur before you are in a crisis, so you can carefully consider all your options.
Do I need to give up treatment to receive hospice care?
Most advanced medical interventions have been discontinued by the time individuals enroll in hospice. However, potentially life-prolonging interventions may be maintained based on your hospice comprehensive care plan. In addition, Gilchrist offers concurrent hospice and curative care for those who qualify.
How will I pay for hospice?
Hospice is a Medicare entitlement program. Gilchrist’s hospice services are covered at no cost by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurers. A representative of Gilchrist will be able to help determine your coverage.
Covered services include:
- In-home visits by all members of the hospice interdisciplinary team
- Medications for pain control, symptom management and other conditions
related to the life-limiting illness - Medical equipment and supplies
- Grief support services
- Inpatient care
- Respite care
All of the above must be related to the life-limiting diagnosis to be covered under hospice care.
Note: Gilchrist manages all billing and payment for services and supplies associated with the life-limiting diagnosis.
Surprise Billing Protection: If a patient is self-pay and admitted to a Gilchrist inpatient center, or if a Gilchrist provider performs a consult for a patient in a hospital where the provider is out of network, patients have federally protected Rights and Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills.
I have a compliment or concern about my care. Who can I talk to?
We value your feedback. If you or your family would like to share what went well or what could be improved, please let us know. If you have any concerns regarding your care or safety, or if your rights have not been respected, you should bring them to the attention of a hospice team member or the hospice team manager.
If your concerns are not resolved, you may also contact the following organizations:
To register a grievance with Gilchrist’s Executive Director, patients
and families may call 1.888.823.8880: TTY 1-800-735-2258.
Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ)
Address: 7120 Samuel Morse Drive, Second Floor, Columbia, MD 21046‑3422
Complaints can be filed by fax, email, or online:
Online: File a Complaint
Fax (General): (410) 402‑8056
Fax (Nursing Home Specific): (410) 402‑8234
Email: ohcq.complaints@maryland.gov
Maryland Department of Health
(Formerly Department of Mental Health and Hygiene – Main Office)
Email: dhmh.healthmd@maryland.gov
Address: 201 W. Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 767‑6500
Toll‑Free: 1‑877‑4MD‑DHMH (1‑877‑463‑3464)
Please note: Complaints regarding healthcare facilities and services should be directed to the Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ), which operates separately from the main office.
Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP)
To register a grievance with the Community Health Accreditation Program (CHAP), patients and families may contact by:
Mail:
Community Health Accreditation Partner
Attn: Complaints Department
2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite 405
Arlington, VA 22201
Phone: 800‑656‑9656
Fax: 202‑862‑3419
Email: complaints@chapinc.org
Is Hospice Right for You?
Our care navigators can answer your questions and connect you with the right Gilchrist service.
