Hospice Care in Sterling Heights, MI
Written and reviewed by the Lily Hospice clinical team.
Dequindre Road is the line between Oakland and Macomb counties, and between Troy, where our office sits, and Sterling Heights. For families on the Macomb side, Lily Hospice is not a company from “over there.” A nurse leaving our Troy office is a short drive from a house off Ryan or Mound Road, and not much farther from Hayes and Hall Road.
This page is part of our Macomb County hospice care coverage; we also serve neighboring Troy and Clinton Township, and our hospice services page lists everything we provide. Below are the questions Sterling Heights families ask us, in the order they usually ask them.
“Is hospice giving up?”
No. Hospice treats the person when the disease can no longer be cured. Your father with end-stage heart failure still gets his medications, oxygen and a nurse who watches his swelling and breathing. What changes is the goal: fewer emergency trips, more days at home on Plumbrook or in his condo near Lakeside, better sleep for him and for you.
Sterling Heights is a city of multigenerational households, and caregiving is often shared among adult children, in-laws and grandchildren. We teach the whole family, not just one person, and translate what the doctors said into plain language. If your family’s first language is Arabic, Chaldean, Polish or Albanian, tell us when you call so we can plan ahead, and ask us about language support.
“Who is on the team, and how often do they come?”
Every Lily patient in Sterling Heights has:
- A registered nurse who visits on a regular schedule and adjusts the plan as symptoms change.
- A hospice aide for bathing, grooming and personal care, typically several times a week.
- A social worker for paperwork, family meetings, advance directives and connecting you to Macomb County programs.
- A chaplain, if wanted, of any faith or none.
- Volunteers who can sit with your mother so you can get to a grandchild’s game.
- Bereavement support for the family after a death.
Visit frequency is set by need and goes up as the illness advances. Between visits, (248) 955-5100 reaches a real person on our staff 24 hours a day.
“Does he have to be at home?”
No. We care for people in private homes, assisted living and memory care communities, and nursing facilities throughout Sterling Heights, including the many senior communities along the M-59 and Van Dyke corridors, working alongside their staff.
If your mother is at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital or Corewell Health Troy Hospital, ask the discharge planner to send a referral to Lily. We can usually meet her at home the day she arrives.
“What does it cost?”
Medicare’s hospice benefit pays Lily directly. It covers the team above, medications for the terminal illness and its symptoms, equipment such as a hospital bed, wheelchair or oxygen, and supplies. Out-of-pocket costs are limited to up to $5 per prescription for symptom or pain medications and 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care.
Eligibility requires a physician to certify a prognosis of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course, and the patient elects hospice instead of curative treatment for that illness. Coverage runs in two 90-day periods and then unlimited 60-day periods, each with recertification. A patient can revoke hospice at any time.
Medicaid and most private insurance mirror Medicare’s benefit; see
medicare.gov, or call us and we will check your plan.
“She’s still getting chemo. Is there anything for her?”
Yes. Our Pathways Palliative Program manages nausea, pain, anxiety and shortness of breath while she continues treatment with her oncologist. It is billed as Part B visits and has no prognosis requirement. Many families start with Pathways and move to hospice later, with no gap.
“I’m exhausted. Can I get a break?”
Medicare covers inpatient respite care: up to five consecutive days per occurrence in a contracted facility, so you can rest or travel to a wedding. Continuous home care is available during short crises when symptoms need hands-on nursing for hours at a time. These are part of the benefit, not favors.
Macomb County resources worth knowing
- Area Agency on Aging 1-B covers Macomb County and offers caregiver support, in-home service programs and benefits counseling.
- Macomb County Veterans Services, in Mount Clemens, helps veterans and surviving spouses with VA claims and benefits.
- The Sterling Heights Senior Center near Dodge Park runs programs for older residents and their families.
Why Sterling Heights families choose Lily
Lily Hospice is family-owned and based next door in Troy, not a franchise or national chain, so decisions about your care are made by people you can meet. Our Veteran Advisory Committee and Veteran Rapid Response program serve the many veterans in this city, and we are working toward VA Community Care Network participation; see our veterans page. Our Journey Program uses virtual reality to take a homebound patient to a ballgame or a village they left decades ago. Read what families have said on our reviews page.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Lily from Sterling Heights? Our Troy office is just west of Dequindre Road. Most Sterling Heights addresses are 15 to 25 minutes away.
Who is my mother’s doctor once she is on hospice? Her own physician can stay involved, working with our hospice medical director.
What happens if she gets better? She may be discharged from hospice and can be readmitted later if she becomes eligible again.
Talk to us
How to reach us from Sterling Heights: our office at 2125 Butterfield Dr, Ste 299, Troy is just west of Dequindre Road, a short drive away. Or skip the drive and call (248) 955-5100. A real person answers, day or night. You can also reach us through our contact page.