So how do you know when it's time for hospice care? Requesting hospice care is a personal decision, but it's important to understand that at a certain point, doing "everything possible" may no longer be helping you. Sometimes the burdens of a treatment outweigh the benefits. Hospice care will help you continue treatments that are maintaining or improving your quality of life. If your illness improves, you can leave hospice care at any time and return if and when you choose.

• The following are some signs that you or a loved one may experience a better quality of life with hospice care:
• The patient has had several trips to the emergency room, and while his/her condition was stabilized, it continues to worsen.
• The patient wishes to remain at home rather than spend time in the hospital.
• The patient is no longer receiving treatments to cure his/her disease.
• Difficulty managing pain;
• Difficulty swallowing and/or a decrease in appetite and/or weight loss;
• Decrease in comprehension and/or increased disorientation or confusion;
• Increased need for assistance with activities of daily living;
• Increased incontinence;
• Recurrent infections;
• Wounds not healing properly;
• Increased edema;
• Increased shortness of breath;
• Decrease in smiling and communication; withdrawal from family and friends.