Patients & Caregivers

As an extension of Lutheran Homes of South Carolina, Lutheran Hospice is one of the few non-profit, faith-based hospice providers in the state. With over a century of history, our outreach ministry is Medicare and Medicaid certified and licensed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). Lutheran Hospice is also a member of The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care, the premier association for the hospice and end-of-life industry throughout the Carolinas, and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).

Lutheran Hospice is dedicated to honoring our patients’ wishes and goals for their end-of-life care while also providing the support and tools to educate, empower, and relieve our caregivers, their family, and their friends.

We are currently serving the following counties in South Carolina: Anderson, Berkley, Charleston, Cherokee, Colleton, Dorchester, Greenville, Laurens, Lexington, Newberry, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, and Spartanburg.

Many people believe that when they choose a hospice provider for their loved one, they’re choosing to give up. At Lutheran Hospice, many of our patients live longer than originally expected through careful attention and appropriate care.

Many hospice patients are referred by a physician who determines that their patient has six months or less to live if the illness continues to run its normal course. Often individuals choose hospice for the palliative care instead of undergoing painful, potentially curative treatment. We provide care for those with a variety of conditions and illnesses such as heart disease, lung disease, AIDS, cancer, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), congestive heart failure, Alzheimer’s disease, coma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dementia, diabetes, emphysema, liver failure, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, renal failure, stroke and other conditions.

If you or your loved one chooses not to undergo curative treatment for an illness or your family doctor recommends hospice care, you should seek a provider. By partnering with a hospice care provider, your loved one may live longer giving you more time to ensure the wishes of your loved one is properly put into place.

Do not hesitate to call Lutheran Hospice if you or your loved one experiences frequent emergency room or doctor visits or if you, as a caregiver, feel as though your loved one is always enduring health crises.

No matter how you have found Lutheran Hospice, our team of supportive and compassionate medical professionals may provide services wherever the individual calls home. This may be at a private residence, assisted living community, or a skilled nursing residence. Requirements may differ depending on the insurance plan outside of Medicare. For assistance or to learn more, please contact our office by visiting our Contact Us page.

When you choose Lutheran Hospice, our first goal is to ensure the wishes of our patient are kept to the best of our abilities. This means that your way is of utmost importance. If your loved one changes his or her mind, we are there to ensure they may continue to live as they wish.

Commonly hospice care provides financial relief to those with a life-limiting illness because all services related to that illness, such as medication, equipment and supplies, are covered by hospice care benefits – with few out-of-pocket expenses.

Medicare pays for the hospice program at a per-day rate for services related to terminal illness. There is no co-pay or deductible to reach for this benefit.

Medicare provides this benefit coverage for four levels of care: routine, general inpatient, respite, and continuous homecare. The requirements for each of these levels of care is provided upon admission into the Lutheran Hospice program.

We also partner with many private insurance companies including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Blue Choice, Carolina Care Plan, Cigna, Tri-Care, and Veterans Affairs (VA) health care.

Lutheran Hospice also accepts Medicaid. In the event the patient does not have insurance, we also accept private pay.

First, you or your loved one will be evaluated by their doctor to determine their eligibility for hospice care.

Upon admission, our interdisciplinary care team will be assigned to you or your loved one based on their goals and needs. Working alongside you and your loved one, your family, and your loved one’s existing medical team, we create a specialized plan of care to meet the many needs, wants, and goals of the patient.

Services are provided to encompass some of our dimensions of wellness such as spiritual and emotional needs associated with a terminal diagnosis while also providing compassionate care. These services may be given by the Lutheran Hospice Medical Director, nurses or certified nursing assistants, master-level social workers, chaplains, or volunteers.