Hospice vs Palliative Care: What to Know in Colorado

Hospice vs Palliative Care: What to Know in Colorado

When families begin facing serious illness in a loved one, the question often arises: What’s the difference between hospice and palliative care (hospice vs palliative care)? And in Colorado specifically, when should each option be considered? At Preferred Providers, we deliver in-home primary and palliative care for seniors with medically complex conditions. We also partner with Complete CO Hospice to ensure seamless transitions when hospice becomes appropriate. This post will help you understand the differences, benefits, timing, and how we support both pathways.

What Is Palliative Care (and When It Begins)

Palliative care is specialized medical care focused on relieving symptoms, pain, and stress of serious illness. Unlike hospice, palliative care can start early—at diagnosis or during treatment—and can be provided alongside curative therapies. It’s about enhancing comfort, improving quality of life, and addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Key features:

• Symptom management (pain, nausea, breathlessness, fatigue)

• Coordination of care across multiple specialists

• Emotional and psychosocial support for patients and families

• Advance care planning and goals-of-care discussions

Because Preferred Providers provides in-home medical visits, we can deliver palliative support where it’s needed most—at home. Our team assesses how disease trajectories are evolving, adjusts medications, and continuously reviews care goals with the patient and family.

What Is Hospice Care (and When It Begins)

Hospice care is a model of care for patients for whom curative treatment is no longer effective or desired, and life expectancy is generally six months or less if the disease follows its typical progression. The focus shifts entirely to comfort, dignity, and quality of life. In Colorado, hospice care is regulated and usually includes services such as:

• Pain and symptom control

• Nursing visits, aides, and personal care

• Emotional, spiritual, and bereavement support

• Medical equipment, supplies, and medications related to the terminal illness

• Coordination with volunteers, chaplains, social workers

Hospice does not usually include aggressive life-prolonging treatment, but rather centers on comfort and support. Many families hesitate to transition to hospice, but early conversations and planning help ensure it aligns with goals and preferences.

Hospice vs Palliative Care — Side by Side

Feature	Palliative Care	Hospice Care
Timing	At any stage of serious illness	When life expectancy is limited (~6 months)
Goal	Relief of symptoms, improving quality of life, alongside curative care	Comfort, dignity, and symptom management when curative therapy is no longer the focus
Treatments allowed	Yes (can be concurrent with aggressive therapies)	Typically no curative therapy for the disease; focus on comfort
Where care is delivered	Hospital, outpatient, home, clinic	Primarily home, hospice facility, or nursing facility
Insurance coverage	Often covered under regular medical benefits	Covered by Medicare Hospice Benefit, Medicaid, and private insurers under certain conditions

Understanding these distinctions helps families choose the best path for their loved one.

When to Make the Transition from Palliative to Hospice

Knowing when to shift from palliative to hospice can be challenging. Some signals include:

• Frequent hospitalizations or emergency visits

• Declining ability to do daily activities (e.g. bathing, eating, walking)

• Weight loss, loss of appetite, fatigue

• The decision that further disease-directed treatment would cause more harm than benefit

• Worsening symptoms despite optimal palliative management

Starting the discussion early—while the patient is still able to express preferences—can ease transitions and avoid crisis decision-making.

How Preferred Providers and Complete CO Hospice Work Together

At Preferred Providers, our mission is to care for medically complex, homebound seniors with dignity, consistency, and attention to their evolving goals. Here’s how we integrate palliative and hospice:

1. Early palliative care management at home – we monitor disease progression, optimize symptom control, and revisit care goals regularly.

2. Advance care planning conversations – we help patients articulate preferences and document them.

3. Seamless hospice transition – when appropriate, we coordinate with Complete CO Hospice or your preferred hospice provider, to ensure continuity, minimize gaps, and maintain comfort.

4. Holistic support – even under hospice care, we support emotional, spiritual, and family needs and help navigate care logistics.

How to Decide What’s Right for You or a Loved One

• Start by discussing goals, quality of life priorities, and tolerance for interventions

• Ask your care team whether continuing aggressive treatment is offering more benefit or burden

• Consider whether you prefer to remain at home rather than moving to inpatient care

• Evaluate whether hospice would better align with your comfort-focused goals

Call to Action

If you or a loved one is navigating serious illness, you don’t have to face it alone. Request a screening call with Preferred Providers to explore whether palliative or hospice care is appropriate. Our in-home medical team can help assess where you are, support decision-making, and guide transitions to hospice with our partner Complete CO Hospice.