The Dear Abby column today had a question from a reader that tugged heartstrings. When to call for hospice? If you think you or a loved one may need hospice care in Maine, when to call for hospice becomes the all-important question.

When to call for hospice has to be a question answered after discussion with your doctors and with your local hospice care provider. Hospice care in Maine is often covered by Medicare when recommended by your physician (often because the patient has a terminal diagnosis and six months left in life.) but when to call for hospice is also about comfort, both for the patient and the caregivers. Hospice workers are experienced and skillful, as well as patient and respectful. They can help the patient feel more in control and better about their last days, and help the family understand the process and give their loved one attention as family members, not caregivers.

Hospice care in Maine is provided by many health care organizations, including Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice, Hospice of Southern Maine, Chans Home Health Care at Mid Coast Health and other groups. Hospice care can be provided at home, and also in several dedicated hospice homes around the state, including Lewiston and Scarborough.

It’s never too eearly for hospice discussions when someone is facing a life-threatening illness or is nearing the end of life. Hospice can be arranged quite quickly. It’s much, much better to have the hope and help provided by hospice early enough to give the patient support and the family some assistance and relief. The whole point of hospice carein Maine is to give the patient some help and clarity about their life as it ends, and sometimes that gets increasingly difficult as aging progresses or disease take their toll.