The final months and days of a person’s life are often challenging, but hospice care can help alleviate some of the stress and suffering for both the patient and their loved ones. Because hospice caregivers are trained to provide more than just medical support, they can offer different options based on an individual patient’s specific circumstances. Many times, people mistakenly believe that hospice is only for patients with days or hours left, or that it is only for those with specific illnesses. The reality is that patients can be referred to hospice regardless of their illness, provided that the natural course of the disease would suggest that there is six months or less to live. Similarly, Medicare’s hospice benefit is set up for six months, but extensions can be made if the circumstances warrant.