Hospice care around Baton Rouge

What is hospice care?

Comfort-focused care for someone whose doctor certifies a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course, delivered by a team of nurses, aides, social workers, chaplains and volunteers.

LDH's roster lists 20 licensed hospices with offices in the Baton Rouge area, among them Gentiva, Amedisys Hospice, Audubon Hospice Care, Bridgeway Healthcare & Hospice; hospices licensed in other regions may also accept patients here.

Where can hospice be provided around Baton Rouge?

At home, in an ARCP, in a nursing home, or in an inpatient hospice unit for symptoms that cannot be managed elsewhere.

A resident of a Louisiana ARCP can receive hospice there; the ARCP continues to provide room, board and personal care.

What does Medicare's hospice benefit cover?

The hospice team's visits, medications and equipment related to the terminal illness, short inpatient care for symptom control, and short inpatient respite for caregivers.

It does not cover room and board in an ARCP or nursing home, or 24-hour caregiving at home.

How do we choose a hospice?

Ask how quickly nurses respond after hours, how often aides visit, whether the hospice has its own inpatient beds, and what support it gives the family after a death.

Confirm the hospice serves your parent's parish; most licensed hospices with Baton Rouge offices serve surrounding parishes too.

When should a Baton Rouge family call hospice?

When a doctor believes a parent has six months or less to live if the illness runs its normal course, or when the family wants comfort-focused care rather than more hospital trips, it is time to ask for a hospice evaluation.

Many families wait until the last days and later wish they had called sooner, because hospice brings nurses, aides, equipment, medications and support for the family at no cost under Medicare. A patient who improves can leave hospice and return later, and hospice can be provided in a Louisiana ARCP without forcing a move.

Where is hospice care licensed around Baton Rouge?

This is how LDH's November 2026 roster spreads hospice care across the parishes that have any; agencies have no capacity figure.