Hospice care in the Gateway Cities

A large share of hospice referrals here come from hospitals and from long-term care. When a stay is ending at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, PIH Health Whittier, or one of the Long Beach hospitals, the discharge is usually coordinated by a case manager who is already arranging the next setting of care.

Hospice works alongside that case management rather than replacing it. The hospice brings clinical oversight, medications, equipment, and visits; the hospital or health plan handles the transition logistics.

This part of the county has a high concentration of skilled nursing and residential care facilities. Hospice in a facility is a partnership: the facility provides room, board, and daily staffing; the hospice provides the clinical plan, medications related to the terminal diagnosis, equipment, and visits.

Families are often unsure who to call first when something changes. The answer should be written into the care plan at admission. If it is not clear, ask for it in writing.

Many patients in this part of the county have been living with a serious illness for years: heart failure, dementia, advanced lung disease, kidney disease on dialysis. Hospice becomes appropriate when the condition has declined and the focus of care has shifted toward comfort, which is a clinical judgment rather than a single test.

If you are unsure whether someone is at that point, that is exactly the question to bring to a physician or to a hospice evaluation. Our eligibility guide explains what clinicians typically look for.

Call and describe the address and the situation. We will confirm what we can do for that address, explain the visit plan, and answer the after-hours question directly.