Routine Home Care
Daily appointments to address the physical, mental and spiritual needs of hospice patients and their caregivers.
Hospice services
Comfort, dignity and support — for patients and families
Hospice is comfort care without curative intent. We focus on the symptoms and the person as a whole, and our support extends to family, friends and loved ones.
Our hospice services
Four levels of hospice care
Our Star Care Hospice team designed and consistently uses a proven methodology to ensure the quality of our hospice services, with an evidence-based approach to the health and well-being of our patients.
Respite Care
Short-term support for primary caregivers, available for a few hours, days or weeks.
Continuous Nursing Care
Hospice staff provide up to 24 hours of care when necessary, helping patients remain at home during critical times.
Inpatient Care
When a patient’s condition exceeds home care capabilities, they may require hospital treatment.
What our patients receive
Your interdisciplinary hospice team
Every patient is supported by a team of professionals who care for the body, mind and spirit.
Physicians
Board-certified physicians engage in ongoing discussions with your hospice team.
Skilled Nursing
Our clinicians are trained to provide hospice care, recognize symptoms, cope with pain and manage medications.
Hospice Aides
Assisting adults of all ages with hygiene and personal care, such as bathing, grooming and dressing.
Medical Social Workers
Provide help with the emotional impact of illness, offer education, and discuss counseling and resources — advocating for each patient and family we serve and helping with community resources.
Spiritual & Bereavement Counseling
Support for patients, family and loved ones to cultivate a sense of peace and well-being.
Hospice Volunteers
Volunteers who offer companionship.
Licensed Nutritionists / Dietitians
Taking a complete, holistic approach.
Respiratory Therapy
Helping patients who use oxygen and with other care issues like tracheotomies and ventilators.
Equipment & Supplies
Items such as hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen systems, incontinence supplies and more.
For patients & referring providers
Care that meets and exceeds the Medicare hospice benefit
Trust Star Care Hospice to deliver care to your patients that meets and exceeds the requirements of the Medicare hospice benefit.
Complex Modalities
Aggressive symptom management in any setting via traditional treatments along with parenteral interventions, high-flow O2, inotropic therapy and more. Medicare-covered supplies include BiPAP, CPAP, home ventilator, etc.
High-Acuity Care
For patients with acute symptoms, Star Care Hospice offers higher levels of care to stabilize their condition.
24/7/365 Clinical Care Support
Caregivers have access to clinicians who can treat by phone or dispatch a clinician to the patient when necessary. Star Care Hospice offers telehealth for 24/7/365 admissions of hospice-eligible patients.
Open Formulary
An open Rx formulary, including the continuation of disease-directed medications such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, diuretics, inhalers and cholinesterase inhibitors (i.e., donepezil), with Star Care nurse supervision.
Advanced Illness Specialists
Experienced clinicians assist with goals-of-care conversations, specialist consults, medication reconciliation and more to enhance prognostication of patients with serious illness.
Expanded Team
Our expanded care team includes respiratory therapy, dietary support, PT/OT/speech therapy, music, pet visits and massage.
Where care is provided
Care in the comfort of your own home
Hospice will provide care in the comfort of your own home, whether it’s in a private residence, an assisted living facility or a skilled nursing facility.
Private residence
Assisted living
Skilled nursing facility
Who pays for hospice?
Hospice services, medical equipment, supplies and medications are benefits covered by Medicare, Medi-Cal, senior and regular HMOs, and private insurance plans.
Eligibility
Who qualifies for hospice services?
Patients are eligible for hospice care when a physician makes a clinical determination that life expectancy is six months or less if the terminal illness runs its normal course.
The guidelines below summarize the hospice eligibility indicators we share with physicians and care teams. If you think you or a loved one may qualify, please call us at (925) 587-1159.
General hospice eligibility guidelines
Consider hospice if a patient meets 2 or more:
- Dependent in 2–3 of 6 ADLs (activities of daily living)
- Shortness of breath or fatigue at rest / minimal exertion
- Multiple ED visits or hospitalizations
- 10% weight loss in 6 months
- Recurrent falls with injury
- Decreased tolerance in physical activity
Disease-specific guidelines
Select a condition to view the indicators.
Sepsis
Hospice-eligible but not previously identified:
- Cancer, solid tumor and hematologic
- Advanced cardiac disease
- Advanced lung disease
- Dementia
- Eligibility at hospital discharge
Pre-hospital functional ability:
- Physical impairment
- 1 of 6 ADLs or 1 of 5 IADLs
- Cognitive status
- Any degree of dementia
Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias
Consider hospice if the patient meets both:
- Dependent in 3 of 6 ADLs
- One of these complications:
- Pneumonia
- Recurrent UTI
- Sepsis
- Weight loss 10%
- Two Stage 3 or 4 pressure ulcers
- Hip fracture
- Swallowing difficulty
- Feeding tube decision
- Delirium
Lung Disease
Consider hospice if the patient meets both:
- Dyspnea at rest and/or with minimal exertion while on oxygen therapy
- One of these disease progressions:
- Frequent ED visits and/or hospitalizations
- Cor pulmonale
Cancer
Consider hospice if the patient meets both:
- Spends 50% of time in bed or chair during waking hours
- No longer pursuing chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy
Heart Disease
Consider hospice if the patient meets all:
- NYHA Class III or IV (fatigue, angina, or dyspnea at rest and/or with minimal exertion)
- Multiple ED visits and hospitalizations
- Not a surgical candidate
Liver Disease
Consider hospice if the patient meets both:
- INR >1.5 and serum albumin ≤ 2.5 g/dL
- One of these complications:
- Recurrent ascites
- Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP)
- Hepatic encephalopathy
- Variceal bleed
- Weight loss 10%
- HRS (hepatorenal syndrome)
For referring providers
Refer hospice-eligible patients sooner
Research consistently finds that patients who enroll in hospice near the end of their lives report greater satisfaction, better quality of life, and reduced physical and emotional distress. One of the most statistically grounded comparative assessments of hospice spending to date looked at 2.3 million Medicare-enrolled decedents and found:
2.3MMedicare-enrolled decedents included in the comparative assessment of hospice spending.
11% lowerSpending for Medicare beneficiaries who spent at least 6 months in hospice in the last year of their lives, compared with the adjusted spending of beneficiaries who did not use hospice.
4%–25% lowerSpending by disease group — from 4% lower for neurodegenerative disease to 25% lower for chronic kidney disease / end-stage renal disease (CKD/ESRD).
Studies show that most patients with serious illness would benefit from being referred to hospice sooner for comprehensive care. Don’t delay hospice referrals.
Refer a patient: (925) 587-1159
Supporting you through life’s transitions
Grief & bereavement support
We offer counseling and support to help you cope with the emotional and physical reactions that often accompany grief.
Our services are available to loved ones of our patients, both during and after their care, for up to 13 months.
You’re not alone
We’re here to listen, support and guide you through this challenging time. Our grief support services are designed to help you process your emotions, find comfort and heal.
Understanding grief reactions
Grief can manifest in many ways, including:
- Feeling empty and numb, like being in shock
- Physical reactions such as nausea, trouble breathing, and changes in appetite and sleep patterns
- Anger, guilt and frustration
- Withdrawal from social activities and hobbies
- Difficulty concentrating, working or making decisions
- Questions about life’s meaning and purpose
Service area
Where compassionate care begins
Proudly serving the Bay Area and surrounding counties.
Hospice services
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Marin
- Monterey
- Napa
- San Benito
- San Francisco
- San Joaquin
- San Mateo
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Solano
- Sonoma
Coming soon
- Sacramento
- Stanislaus
- Merced
Questions about hospice care?
If you have any questions about hospice care, or if you think you or your loved ones may qualify for hospice services, please give us a call.