What Is Hospice Respite Care, and How Does It Work?

Updated November 2026. Written and reviewed by the Lily Hospice clinical team.

Hospice respite care is a short stay, up to five days at a time, for a hospice patient in a Medicare-approved facility so that the family caregiver can rest. It is one of the four levels of care in the Medicare hospice benefit, it can be used more than once, and the hospice arranges everything. In metro Detroit, Lily Hospice arranges respite for families across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

Why respite exists

Most hospice care in metro Detroit happens at home, and most of the hands-on work between visits is done by a spouse, a daughter, a son. Caring for someone around the clock is exhausting in a way that is hard to admit. Respite care is Medicare’s acknowledgment that the caregiver’s stamina is part of the patient’s care plan. A rested caregiver makes better decisions and can keep their loved one at home longer.

How it works

The hospice arranges a bed in a facility it contracts with, usually a skilled nursing facility or an inpatient hospice unit, and coordinates transport, medications and the care plan for the stay. The stay is up to five consecutive days per occurrence; Medicare does not set a fixed limit on how many times respite can be used, though hospices use it occasionally rather than routinely. The hospice team continues to visit during the stay. Medicare covers the facility cost with a small daily coinsurance, generally five percent of the respite rate, and many families pay nothing.

Respite is planned, not emergency care. If the patient’s symptoms become unmanageable at home, the right tool is continuous home care or general inpatient care, also covered by the benefit; ask your hospice which applies.

Respite care in metro Detroit: what to expect from Lily

When a family in Oakland, Macomb or Wayne County asks for respite, the social worker and nurse plan the stay together with the caregiver: which days, which contracted facility is nearest and has a bed, how the person will get there, and which medications and supplies travel with them. The hospice team keeps visiting during the stay, and the plan of care does not change. Families most often ask for respite before a trip, around the holidays, after a hospitalization of their own, or simply when the nights have become too long; none of those needs a crisis to justify it. A caregiver who is caring for a parent who lives alone or a spouse who is in their eighties themselves can use it just as any other family does.

Respite is also part of the larger question of where hospice care happens. Some families use a respite stay to find out whether a facility setting would suit their loved one; our guide Hospice at home or in a facility? walks through that decision, and our companion page Hospice respite care in metro Detroit covers how Lily arranges it and the questions to ask. For the paperwork and planning that pile up at the end of the year, including paid sick time for caregiving in Michigan, see the year-end checklist for family caregivers. County pages: Oakland, Macomb, Wayne.

Other ways hospice supports caregivers

Aide visits for bathing and personal care, volunteers who sit with the patient so a caregiver can leave the house, social work help with the practical and emotional weight, chaplain support, and after a death, bereavement support for the family for more than a year. If you are the caregiver and you are running on empty, say so to the hospice nurse; it is the most common thing we hear and there is more help than most families use.

Questions families ask

How many days of respite care does Medicare cover?

Up to five consecutive days per respite stay. It can be used more than once during hospice care.

Where does respite care take place?

In a Medicare-approved facility the hospice contracts with, such as a skilled nursing facility or an inpatient hospice unit; not at home.

Does respite care cost the family anything?

Medicare may charge a coinsurance of about five percent of the respite daily rate. Many families pay nothing; ask your hospice.

Can I ask for respite even if things are going fine?

Yes. Respite is for the caregiver, not only for a crisis. Tell your hospice social worker or nurse.

Does Lily Hospice arrange respite care?

Yes, as part of the Medicare hospice benefit, along with aide visits, volunteers and social work support for caregivers across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

Can I use respite care to travel or for the holidays?

Yes. Respite does not require a crisis. Families use it for a trip, a wedding, the holidays, their own medical appointments or simply to sleep. Ask the hospice social worker or nurse a week or two ahead when you can, so a bed can be arranged.

Can respite be used if my loved one already lives in assisted living?

Respite is meant for patients cared for at home by family. Someone in assisted living or a nursing home already has facility staff providing hands-on care, so respite usually does not apply; the hospice team’s aide, nurse and social worker still visit there.

What is the difference between respite care and general inpatient care?

Respite is a planned stay of up to five days for the caregiver’s rest while the patient is stable. General inpatient care is for symptoms that cannot be controlled at home, such as severe pain or breathing trouble, and lasts as long as the symptoms require. Continuous home care brings nursing into the home for a crisis instead. All are part of the Medicare hospice benefit.

General education, not medical or benefits advice. Decisions about hospice are made with your loved one’s physician. Lily Hospice, 2125 Butterfield Dr, Suite 299, Troy, MI 48084. Medicare-certified since 2021. ACHC-accredited.

Hospice isn’t giving up. It’s showing up. Call (248) 955-5100. A real person answers, 24 hours a day.