Hospice Care in Oakland County, MI

Written and reviewed by the Lily Hospice clinical team.

Oakland County is home for Lily Hospice. Our office sits on Butterfield Drive in Troy, in the middle of the county. When your father’s pain medication needs adjusting at 2 a.m. in Waterford, or your mother’s assisted living community in Bloomfield Township calls to say she has stopped eating, the person who answers knows these roads. No call center in another state decides whether to send someone.

This is the starting point for Oakland County families. City pages are linked near the bottom.

Oakland County is big, and care has to fit where you live

Southeast Oakland (Royal Oak, Ferndale, Berkley, Huntington Woods, Madison Heights, Clawson, Hazel Park, Oak Park). Bungalows and colonials from the 1920s through the 1950s, often with the only bathroom upstairs, so a first visit usually includes deciding where a hospital bed goes on the main floor. Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak is nearby.

Central Oakland (Troy, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, West Bloomfield, Auburn Hills, Pontiac). Home base. Our office is minutes from Corewell Health Troy Hospital, and Troy and Birmingham addresses are close by. Pontiac has McLaren Oakland and Trinity Health Oakland; West Bloomfield has Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital.

North Oakland (Rochester Hills, Rochester, Oakland Township, Lake Orion, Oxford, Clarkston, Waterford, Holly). Larger lots, more multi-generational households, and the Older Persons’ Commission (OPC) in Rochester as a strong local resource. Drive times from Troy reach 25 to 40 minutes at the northern edge, and we schedule for it.

West Oakland (Farmington Hills, Farmington, Novi, Southfield, Wixom, Commerce Township, Walled Lake, Milford, Lyon Township, South Lyon). The county’s densest run of assisted living, memory care and senior apartments lies along Orchard Lake Road, Twelve Mile and Grand River. Many families here are caring for someone in a facility, and hospice there means working inside the facility’s routine rather than around it.

What hospice at home actually looks like

Hospice is not a place. A Lily nurse visits on a regular schedule, usually one to three times a week to start, more as needs change. A hospice aide helps with bathing, skin care and repositioning. A social worker handles paperwork and family logistics. A chaplain is available if you want one. Volunteers can sit with your husband so you can get to the pharmacy on Woodward without watching the clock. After a death, bereavement support continues for your family.

Between visits, you call one number, (248) 955-5100, and a real person answers. Not a recording, not an answering service. If a nurse needs to come out at night, a nurse comes out.

Who qualifies, and how to start

Two things have to be true for Medicare hospice:

  1. A physician certifies that, if the illness runs its normal course, life expectancy is six months or less.
  2. You (or the person legally speaking for you) choose comfort-focused care instead of treatment meant to cure the terminal illness.

Choosing hospice means the goal shifts to comfort and time at home. You can revoke it at any point and re-elect it later.

To start, call us. We contact your doctor, arrange the certification, and typically admit within a day, often the same day when urgent. Discharge planners at any Oakland hospital can refer directly if you tell them you want Lily.

What Medicare covers

Medicare Part A pays Lily directly. Coverage includes nursing, aide, social work and chaplain visits; medications for pain and symptoms related to the terminal illness; equipment such as a hospital bed, oxygen and a wheelchair; and supplies. You may owe up to $5 per prescription for symptom-control drugs and 5% of the Medicare-approved amount for inpatient respite care.

The benefit runs in periods: two 90-day periods, then unlimited 60-day periods, each with recertification. Nobody is “kicked off” for living longer than expected. Four levels of care exist: routine home care (most patients), continuous home care during a short crisis, inpatient respite (up to five consecutive days per occurrence) and general inpatient care for symptoms that cannot be managed at home. Medicaid and most private plans mirror the benefit. Details:
medicare.gov and the National Alliance for Care at Home.

Not ready for hospice? The Pathways Palliative Program

Families often say, “She’s still getting chemo. We’re not there yet.” The Pathways Palliative Program provides symptom management and care coordination while treatment continues. It is billed through Medicare Part B visits, so no six-month certification is required. See
the Pathways Palliative Program.

County resources Oakland County families should know

  • Area Agency on Aging 1-B, headquartered in Southfield, covers Oakland and Macomb. Ask about in-home services, caregiver support and the MI Choice Medicaid waiver.
  • Oakland County Veterans’ Services in Pontiac helps veterans and surviving spouses with VA benefits, including Aid and Attendance. Lily’s Veteran Advisory Committee and Veteran Rapid Response program are described at our veterans page. We are working toward VA Community Care Network participation. Lily is family-owned, not veteran-owned.
  • Local senior centers (Troy Community Center, the OPC, the Costick Center in Farmington Hills, and others) for meals, transportation and caregiver programs.

Why Oakland County families choose Lily

Family-owned and based in Troy. Medicare-certified and ACHC-accredited. A person answers the phone, day or night. Our Journey Program brings virtual reality experiences to patients who cannot leave the house: a beach, a cathedral, a place they lived long ago. And a Veteran Advisory Committee holds us to our word on veteran care. Read more at why families choose Lily and our reviews.

Oakland County city pages

We also serve: Auburn Hills, Berkley, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Clarkston, Clawson, Commerce Township, Farmington, Ferndale, Franklin, Hazel Park, Highland, Holly, Huntington Woods, Independence Township, Keego Harbor, Lake Orion, Lathrup Village, Lyon Township, Madison Heights, Milford, Oak Park, Oakland Township, Orchard Lake, Orion Township, Oxford, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac, Rochester, South Lyon, Sylvan Lake, Walled Lake, Waterford, West Bloomfield, White Lake, Wixom and Wolverine Lake.

Neighboring counties: Macomb County and Wayne County.

How to reach us from anywhere in Oakland County

Our office is at 2125 Butterfield Dr, Suite 299, Troy, MI 48084, near Big Beaver Road and I-75, the county’s central artery. From Royal Oak or Birmingham it is 15 minutes; from Rochester Hills, 20; from Farmington Hills or Southfield, 25 to 30; from Novi or Clarkston, 30 to 35. You will rarely need to make the drive. Call, and we come to you.

Frequently asked questions

Does Lily serve all of Oakland County, including the far north? Yes. Holly, Oxford, Clarkston and Milford are in our service area, and visit schedules account for the drive.

Can my mother stay in her assisted living apartment in West Bloomfield and still have hospice? Yes. Hospice adds to the care the facility already provides, and we coordinate with the staff.

Does Medicare Advantage cover hospice? Yes. Hospice for an Advantage member is paid through Original Medicare Part A; other plan benefits continue for unrelated conditions.

What if we are not sure it is time? Call anyway. We can do a no-obligation evaluation visit, and if hospice is not the right fit yet, Pathways may be.

Talk to us

Call (248) 955-5100 any hour, any day, and a real person at Lily Hospice will answer. Or reach us at our contact page.