In order to qualify for Hospice Care one requires a diagnosis of being terminally ill and having 6 months or less to live.
Hospice can be provided in-home or in a hospital. If in-home and paid by Medicare, a hospice caregiver will provide care for 4 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Alzheimer's & dementia are considered "chronic illnesses" and can last for years. People die from the complications, not necessarily from the diagnosis itself. Being diagnosed with either would not by itself qualify one for Hospice.
People who sign up for hospice must have a recommendation from the doctor and an agreement by the health care poxy, POA or immediate family members.
Hospice is not to improve one's condition, it's usually to manage pain & discomfort. In fact, while on Hospice, all regular medications are discontinued. The only prescribed meds are to lessen pain & discomfort.
A LTC policy will cover hospice care, up to one's daily benefit in any setting.
I'm going to have to disagree with this part a bit. I do remember my mother being prescribed her inhalers and nebulizer along with various other drugs until the very end. This went on for years. Had they discontinued her meds when they first put her on Hospice she probably wouldn't have lasted 3-4 months (probably). Her meds kept her going for about 10 years.