Integrated hospice
and palliative care.

Someone becomes eligible for hospice care when a physician certifies that they likely have 6 months or less to live and the person has decided not to further pursue curative or life-prolonging treatment. (Instead, hospice allows for a focus on quality of life, for the remaining time that each individual has.) As long as a person continues to qualify for hospice, they may continue with hospice care beyond the initial six months.

No. When you choose to enroll in hospice, you have decided to focus on quality of life and comfort rather than pursuing curative or life-prolonging treatments. At Trailwinds, we work with you and your loved ones to help you live as well as you can with the highest quality of life available for as long as you have.

We tailor our visits based upon an individualized plan of care created in collaboration with you and your loved ones. Often, with this plan, your nurse will visit on average 2 per week increasing as needed and your other team members (CNA, Social Worker, Spiritual Counselor) visiting depending on your specific needs. Hospice is available 24 hours/ 7 days a week for urgent needs or concerns. Additionally, patients are entitled to stay at an approved inpatient facility for up to 5 consecutive days to give their caregiver a rest (this is known as “respite care”). You can read more about the levels of care authorized by Medicare here.

Medicare and Medicaid (Health First Colorado), pay for 100% of your hospice benefit, meaning that you have no out-of-pocket (OOP) costs. With private insurance, costs will vary. If you need help understanding what is covered by your insurance, reach out to us by phone at 303-442-5683 or email at info@trailwindshospice.com. Our social workers are available at no cost to help you with insurance coverage questions and in determining what insurance may be available to support you. If you are uninsured or unhoused, you still may be eligible for our services.

No. Hospice is a service rather than a location. As such, we provide hospice care wherever you call home.

Medicare stipulates four levels of care for any hospice provider.

We are based in Boulder, CO and serve the entirety of Boulder County. We also service the surrounding areas, including the following list of counties. If you are located outside of Boulder County, contact us at the email or phone above to confirm that we are available in your location.

• Adams
• Boulder
• Broomfield
• Jefferson
• Weld
• Larimer

Obviously each individual is different, there are no guarantees for any of us, and hospice goals do not focus on extending life as much as maximizing the quality of the life that the patient has left. That said, there is significant data indicating that hospice patients do oftentimes live longer than they would otherwise. For the six patient populations combined in this study, for example, the mean survival was 29 days longer for hospice patients than for non hospice patients. Another study you may be interested in is this one from the New England Journal of Medicine. As each of these studies stipulate, certain diagnoses may see more time gained through a hospice program than others, but there is overwhelming evidence that hospice may prolong life at least slightly. And, as is most important to us, the quality of that life is likely to be much higher for both the patient and their loved ones.

Absolutely! We have many volunteers who support Trailwinds in a variety of ways, from supporting our patients to administrative tasks, as well as supporting our bereavement program. Many volunteer opportunities are patient-centered but not all are: volunteering can be as simple as baking goodies, arranging flowers, or providing yard work or other maintenance support. We are open to any suggestions from interested potential volunteers. Volunteers with certified support animals are allowed/encouraged to bring them if arranged in advance. The average volunteer spends approximately one hour per week with us, though the time spent can vary greatly. Our Volunteer Coordinator matches unique aspects of any given volunteer to the needs of the patient and their loved ones. Visit the Volunteer section of Join our Team for more details and to learn how to apply.