Palliative care
Is comfort-focused care that can begin at any stage of a serious illness, even while a patient is still pursuing curative treatment. Someone can receive palliative care alongside chemotherapy or dialysis.
Hospice Care in Martin County, Florida
A Family’s Guide to Getting the Right Support
If a doctor has said the word “hospice” about someone you love, you are in the right place. This is a plain-language guide to hospice care here in Martin County — what it means, who qualifies, what it costs, and how to begin. Treasure Coast Hospice has walked beside local families since 1982, and we will walk beside yours.
You can talk to someone right now
If you would rather ask a real person than read, call our 24/7 team at 772-403-4500 or request care online. There is no cost to ask and no obligation to enroll.
What hospice really means
What Hospice Care Really Means
Hospice is specialized care for someone with a life-limiting illness when treatments aimed at a cure are no longer helping, or when the burden of those treatments outweighs the benefit. The focus shifts to comfort, dignity, and quality of life for whatever time remains. That shift is not about doing less. It is about doing what matters, and doing it well.
Good hospice care treats the whole person and the whole family. It manages pain and other symptoms. It answers hard questions. It supports the people doing the caregiving, because they are carrying a weight that few people around them fully understand.
Hospice is a philosophy of care, not a place. Most of the time, care happens right where your loved one already lives. You can read a fuller overview on our hospice care services page.
Hospice vs. Palliative Care: What’s the Difference
Families often hear both terms and use them interchangeably, but they are not the same. The difference matters when you are weighing options. If you are early in the journey, palliative care may be the right first step, and our team can help you understand which fits your situation today.
Hospice
Is a form of palliative care for the final phase, when curative treatment has stopped and the focus is fully on comfort and quality of life.
Put simply
All hospice care is palliative, but not all palliative care is hospice.
Where care happens
Where Hospice Care Happens in Martin County
One of the first things families want to know is whether their loved one has to go somewhere. Usually, the answer is no. Hospice care comes to you.
For times when a symptom cannot be managed at home, care can move to a higher level for a short period. Treasure Coast Hospice operates three Inpatient Units for patients who need round-the-clock, 24-hour attention during a crisis. The Hay-Madeira and Harper Inpatient Units sit at 1000 Ruhnke Street in Stuart, a home-like and serene setting rather than a clinical facility.
We serve families throughout the county, from Stuart and Palm City to Jensen Beach, Hobe Sound, and Port Salerno. Wherever you are in Martin County, care is close. You can find every office and unit on our locations page.
Treasure Coast Hospice provides care wherever your loved one calls home
In a private house, an apartment, a nursing home, an assisted living residence, or a hospital.
Our team comes to the bedside
Brings the equipment and medications the plan calls for, and teaches family caregivers how to provide day-to-day comfort with confidence.
Each unit feels more like a home than a hospital
Every private patient room has a patio and a sleeper sofa, so a spouse or an adult child can stay the night. Families can visit any hour, and there is a shared lounge to rest and reflect. When the crisis settles, most patients return home.
Respite Care: Support for the Caregiver
Caregiving does not have an off switch, and exhaustion is real. Hospice respite care gives family caregivers a planned break. Your loved one receives short-term care in one of our Inpatient Units while you rest, travel, or simply catch your breath. Taking that break is not a failure. It is part of a care plan built to sustain you, because you matter to this too.
The Hospice Care Team Behind Every Patient
Hospice is a team, not a single visitor. When your loved one comes onto service with Treasure Coast Hospice, a coordinated care team builds a care plan around their needs and yours. That team includes:
Comfort comes in many forms, so the plan can also include complementary therapies like music therapy, massage therapy, and visits from a therapy pet, small things that bring real peace on a hard day.
Our 24/7 Call Center answers around the clock at 772-403-4500, including nights, weekends, and holidays. Here is how to reach your care team any time.
You are never handling this alone, and you are never more than a phone call away from help.
Physicians and nurse practitioners
Who oversee medical care.
A hospice nurse
Who becomes your steady point of contact.
Certified nursing assistants
Who help with bathing, grooming, and personal care.
A social worker
Helps you sort through paperwork, benefits, and the practical decisions that pile up, the ones that leave you thinking “how am I supposed to do all of this, and who is going to help me?”
Spiritual Care Coordinator
Offers spiritual support on your terms, whatever your faith or beliefs.
Trained volunteers
Give family caregivers a chance to breathe.
Consultant pharmacists and dieticians
Round out the plan so nothing gets missed.
When Is It Time for Hospice? Reading the Signs
Many families tell us the same thing afterward: “I wish we had called sooner.” One of the hardest parts of this journey is knowing when the time is right, because the signs build slowly and love makes them easy to explain away.
Consider a hospice conversation when you notice signs like these. None of these alone means it is time. Together, they are worth a conversation. You do not have to be certain to ask. You can call and talk it through, and there is no obligation.
Repeated trips to the emergency room or hospital
Over the past several months.
A steady decline
In weight, appetite, strength, or alertness.
More time spent in a bed or a chair
And less time doing daily activities.
Increasing pain or shortness of breath
That is hard to control.
A serious diagnosis
Such as advanced cancer, heart failure, COPD, dementia, kidney disease, or Parkinson’s that keeps progressing despite treatment.
Who Qualifies for Hospice Care
Hospice has clear eligibility criteria, and understanding them takes a lot of the fear out of the question.
If you want to see the steps first, our guide on how to get hospice care walks through each one. Clinicians can review our hospice eligibility guidelines for the clinical criteria.
To qualify for hospice care
Two physicians generally need to certify that a patient has a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness follows its expected course. That is a clinical estimate, not a countdown. Many people live longer, and if a patient improves or stabilizes, they can leave hospice and return later if needed.
The patient also chooses comfort-focused care
Over treatments aimed at curing the underlying illness. Who qualifies is a medical determination, but you never have to figure eligibility out on your own. Our admissions team will review the situation with you and coordinate with the physician.
Still weighing it?
A five-minute call can bring more clarity than another sleepless night of searching. Reach us any hour at 772-403-4500, or request care online and we will call you.
Medicare and coverage
How Much Does Hospice Cost? Understanding Medicare and Coverage
Cost is one of the biggest quiet fears families carry, and here the news is reassuring. For most patients, hospice is covered in full.
The Medicare Hospice Benefit covers hospice care for patients enrolled in Medicare, and that coverage is comprehensive. It is designed to cover the care team’s visits, the medications related to the terminal illness, medical equipment like hospital beds and wheelchairs, supplies, and support services, typically with little or no out-of-pocket cost to the family. Medicaid and most private insurance plans offer similar hospice coverage; if your loved one is on Medicaid, our Medicaid questions and answers page covers the specifics. In practical terms, for a family whose loved one has Medicare, hospice is often free at the point of care.
Treasure Coast Hospice is a nonprofit, community-based organization and part of the Treasure Health family. Because of the generous support of our donors and the Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation, we provide care to patients regardless of ability to pay. Cost should never be the reason a family goes without support, and here it is not.
Specialized programs
Specialized Programs That Set Treasure Coast Hospice Apart
Hospice is not one-size-fits-all, and some patients and families need care shaped around who they are.
Hospice Care
Expert medical care, symptom management, and emotional support focused on comfort and quality of life.
Explore hospice carePediatric Care
Specialized hospice and palliative support for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
Explore pediatric careGrief Support
Individual counseling, support groups, and community resources for adults, children, and families navigating loss.
Explore grief supportSpiritual Care
Non-denominational support guided by each patient’s beliefs, values, traditions, and wishes.
Explore spiritual careVeterans Care Program
Veteran-centered care, peer visits, recognition ceremonies, and resources that honor each person’s service.
Explore veterans careComplementary Therapies
Music, massage, virtual reality, legacy programs, and pet support that bring comfort and connection.
Explore complementary therapiesA few things set Treasure Coast Hospice apart
Why Martin County Families Choose Treasure Coast Hospice
You have a choice in hospice providers, and the choice matters. You can read more about us.
01We are local and have been since 1982
Founded by a handful of community volunteers who believed the Treasure Coast deserved compassionate end-of-life care close to home.
Today we care for more than 4,000 patients a year across Martin, St. Lucie, and Okeechobee counties, and we remain a non-profit rooted in this community.
02Our quality is nationally recognized
Treasure Coast Hospice has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for hospice accreditation, a distinction held by only a handful of Florida hospices, reflecting rigorous standards for safety and quality.
We are also a certified Great Place to Work, because the people who care for your family are cared for too, and that shows up at the bedside.
03Most of all, we treat hospice as a calling
You deserve a team that meets it with skill and with heart.
When the advanced stage of a serious illness becomes the most vulnerable moment your family will face.
What to expect
What to Expect After You Call
Starting hospice care is simpler than most families fear. Here is what the path looks like. Clinicians can refer a patient here.
Ready to take the first step? Request care online or call 772-403-4500 now. If you are earlier in the process and just want to understand your options, our patient and caregiver guide is a good place to start.
A hospice referral can come from a physician, a hospital discharge planner, or directly from you
You do not need a doctor’s permission to make the first call. Reach our team at 772-403-4500, any hour of the day. For admission questions and referrals, call 772-403-4551.
From there, our admissions team confirms eligibility with the physician
Explains the services and coverage, and answers every question you have.
Once care begins, a nurse and the rest of the team build the plan
Deliver any equipment, and set the schedule of visits. Care and symptom management start quickly, often within a day. How long someone stays on hospice varies widely; some families have days, others have many months, and support continues for as long as it is needed.
You Don’t Have to Figure This Out Alone
If you are weighing whether it is time, whether your loved one qualifies, or simply what hospice would look like for your family, start with a conversation. There is no cost to ask and no obligation to enroll.
Call Treasure Coast Hospice any hour at 772-403-4500, or reach admissions and referrals at 772-403-4551. You can also request care through our contact form. Our Martin County office is at the Mayes Center, 1201 SE Indian Street, Stuart, FL 34997, and our Inpatient Units are at 1000 Ruhnke Street, Stuart, FL 34994.
Whatever comes next, you will not walk it alone.