Hospice care in Des Moines and central Iowa

What is hospice care in the Des Moines area?

Hospice is comfort-focused care for someone with a life expectancy of six months or less, delivered by a DIAL-licensed hospice team wherever the patient lives and paid by Medicare's hospice benefit.

DIAL's roster shows 11 licensed hospices with metro offices and 3 inpatient hospice houses: EveryStep Bright - Kavanagh House (Des Moines, 24 beds), EveryStep Kavanagh House (Des Moines, 15 beds), UnityPoint Hospice - Taylor House (Des Moines, 12 beds).

Can hospice come to Iowa assisted living?

Yes. Iowa Code 231C.3 lets a terminally ill tenant receive Medicare hospice in an assisted living program under a written agreement between the program and the hospice.

Hospice also serves residents of nursing facilities and people at home.

What does Medicare's hospice benefit cover?

The hospice team, medications and equipment related to the terminal illness, short inpatient stays for symptom control and short respite stays for caregivers.

It does not cover room and board in a nursing facility or assisted living.

How do we choose a hospice around Des Moines?

Ask about after-hours response, visit frequency, inpatient options and bereavement support, and remember you may choose and change hospices.

Hospitals and facilities may suggest one, but the choice belongs to the patient and family. Ask how many patients each nurse carries, whether the same aide visits each time, and how quickly a nurse can reach the home on a winter night.

What happens when hospice care cannot be managed at home in Des Moines?

The hospice can arrange short-term inpatient care in a hospice house, hospital or nursing facility for symptoms that cannot be controlled at home, and respite stays of up to five days to give family caregivers a rest.

The Des Moines area's inpatient hospice houses are listed in our home health and hospice roster. After a death, Medicare's hospice benefit includes bereavement support for the family for about a year. Ask each hospice what its bereavement program offers and how it supports children and grandchildren.

Where is hospice available across the Des Moines metro?

This is how DIAL's roster spreads hospice across Polk, Dallas, Warren, Jasper, Madison and Guthrie counties.