Hospice Care in El Paso, TX & Las Cruces, NM

Tender Care Home Health & Hospice provides hospice care at home in El Paso, TX, Las Cruces, NM, and nearby cities. Hospice care keeps your loved one comfortable and gives your family more time together.

In El Paso County, we visit families in El Paso, Socorro, Horizon City, Clint, Fabens, San Elizario, and Canutillo. In Doña Ana County, we serve Las Cruces, Mesilla, Anthony, Chaparral, Santa Teresa, and Sunland Park.

Call or text us. El Paso: (915) 581-3345 | Las Cruces: (575) 522-3076

What is Hospice Care?

Hospice is care for someone with a life-limiting illness whose doctor expects six months or less to live if the illness follows its usual course. The care team stops trying to cure the illness and treats pain and other symptoms instead. Hospice also supports the patient's emotional and spiritual needs along with the family's.

Most hospice care happens at home. Our team visits your loved one where they live such as their own house, a relative's home, or an assisted living community or nursing home.

People in hospice often have advanced cancer, heart failure, dementia, COPD or another lung disease, kidney disease, or a neurological condition such as Parkinson's disease or ALS. The diagnosis alone doesn't make someone eligible. It depends on how a doctor views the progression of the illness.

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Elderly lady smiling looking at photos with family while in hospice care

Two women one in a wheel chair sitting in a cafe discussing home health care services

Hospice Services We Provide

Each patient has one care team working from one care plan. Depending on your loved one's needs and wishes, hospice care can include:

Physician oversight from our hospice medical director, who works with your loved one's doctor on the plan of care
Regular nursing visits to manage pain and symptoms and to show family caregivers what to watch for
Hospice aides who help with bathing, grooming and other personal care
Social workers who provide emotional support, help with advance care planning and connect families with community resources
Chaplain visits, if you want them, that respect your family's faith and traditions
Medications, supplies and equipment related to the hospice diagnosis, such as a hospital bed, wheelchair or oxygen
Volunteers who keep your loved one company and give caregivers a short break
Grief support for the family for up to 13 months after a death.

Caring for someone at the end of life is exhausting. Our family and caregiver support resources are for you too.

The Four Levels of Hospice Care

Medicare defines four levels of hospice care. The hospice team chooses the level based on your loved one's needs, and the level can change as those needs change.

Routine Home Care

The most common level. The team visits on a schedule at your loved one's home or care facility

Continuous Home Care

Best for a short-term crisis, such as pain that won't ease. Care is provided at home for at least 8 hours a day, mostly by nurses, until symptoms are under control.

Inpatient Respite Care

This gives a family caregiver time to rest. Your loved one stays in a Medicare-approved facility for up to 5 days at a time. Families can use respite occasionally.

General Inpatient Care

When pain or symptoms can't be managed at home. Your loved one gets short-term, around-the-clock medical care in a hospital or care facility.

When Is It Time for Hospice?

Few families feel ready for this question. These signs may mean it's time to talk with your loved one's doctor about hospice:

The illness keeps getting worse, and treatment isn't helping or is too hard to tolerate.
Hospital stays or ER visits are happening more often.
Your loved one eats less, sleeps more, is losing weight or needs more help walking, dressing and bathing.
A doctor has said the illness may limit life to six months or less.
Your loved one has said they want to focus on comfort and stay home.

Some families worry that choosing hospice means giving up. It means the goal has shifted to comfort and to spending the remaining time the way your loved one wants. Calling us with questions doesn't commit you to anything, and it often helps to learn about hospice before a crisis.

Close up of two people holding hands as they talk about hospice care

Why Families in El Paso & Las Cruces Choose Tender Care

El Paso's Only Level 5 We Honor Veterans Partner

We Honor Veterans is a national program created with the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve end-of-life care for veterans. Level 5 is its highest level. More on our veteran programs below.

Care in English or Spanish

About two-thirds of El Paso County residents speak a language other than English at home. Your family can ask questions and make decisions in Spanish or English. Contamos con personal que habla español.

One Provider as Needs Change

Tender Care also provides home health care, palliative care, primary care at home and wound care. If your loved one's needs change, care can continue with people who already know them.

Part of This Community Since 2006

Ann McConnell, a registered nurse, and Tom McConnell started Tender Care in 2006 to bring home-based medical care to West Texas and southern New Mexico. Our staff lives and works in the communities we serve. In our 2026 family surveys, 88% of families said they would recommend us.

Volunteer and elderly man reviewing hospice care information

Does Medicare Pay for Hospice Care?

Who qualifies: Medicare Part A covers hospice from a Medicare-certified hospice like Tender Care when:

The patient's doctor and the hospice medical director certify a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its usual course.
The patient chooses comfort care instead of treatment to cure the terminal illness.
The patient signs a statement choosing hospice care.

What Medicare covers:

Nursing visits and physician services
Hospice aide and homemaker services
Medications for pain and symptom relief related to the hospice diagnosis
Medical equipment and supplies, such as a hospital bed or wheelchair
Social work, spiritual care and grief support
Short-term inpatient and respite care arranged by the hospice team

What you may pay: Most families pay nothing for hospice care itself. A prescription for pain or symptom medicine can have a copay of up to $5, and inpatient respite care can cost up to 5% of the Medicare-approved amount. Medicare doesn't pay room and board if your loved one lives in a nursing home or assisted living community. Medicare still covers care for health problems not related to the hospice diagnosis.

Other coverage we work with: TRICARE, VA benefits, and most private insurance plans. If cost is a concern, ask us about financial assistance.

We'll review your coverage with you before care starts. You can also check your benefits with your plan or call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE.

Hospice Care for Veterans in El Paso and Las Cruces

El Paso County is home to more than 47,000 veterans. Tender Care has cared for more than 100 veterans across West Texas and southern New Mexico, and our team is trained through the We Honor Veterans program to recognize needs related to military service.

When a hospice patient is a veteran, we can hold a pinning ceremony at their home. Family, friends and the hospice team gather, we talk about the veteran's life and service, and we pin the veteran. Our social workers, chaplain and hospice supervisor also host Vet to Vet Café gatherings, including one at Solstice Senior Living in Las Cruces, where veterans share their stories with each other.

We also help families access VA benefits such as Aid and Attendance, disability compensation, caregiver support and survivor benefits for a spouse or children. Visit our veteran healthcare page to learn more.

Women and doctor talking about hospice care and home health care services

Who is eligible for hospice care?

A person is generally eligible when their doctor and the hospice medical director certify a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness follows its usual course, and the person chooses comfort-focused care. Many hospice patients have advanced cancer, heart failure, dementia, lung disease or kidney disease.

Does Medicare pay for hospice care?

Yes, for people who qualify. Hospice is covered under Medicare Part A, and most families pay nothing for hospice care itself. Small copays can apply to some prescriptions and respite stays.

Can hospice care be provided at home?

Yes. Routine home care is the most common level of hospice care. We see patients in private homes, assisted living communities and nursing homes in El Paso, Las Cruces and nearby communities.

How is hospice different from palliative care?

Both focus on comfort. Palliative care can start at any stage of a serious illness, and the person can keep getting treatment. Hospice is for people with a prognosis of six months or less who have chosen to stop treatment aimed at a cure. Learn more about palliative care.

How long can someone receive hospice care?

Medicare covers hospice in benefit periods: two 90-day periods, then an unlimited number of 60-day periods. A doctor recertifies eligibility at the start of each period, so some people receive hospice care for longer than six months. At Tender Care, the average hospice stay is about 90 days.

Can a patient leave hospice?

Yes. A patient can stop hospice at any time, for example if their health improves or they want to try a new treatment. Each year a few of our hospice patients improve enough to leave hospice, and some move to our palliative care or home health programs for a while. They can return to hospice later if they qualify.

Does a Medicare Advantage plan change hospice coverage?

If your loved one has a Medicare Advantage plan, Original Medicare generally pays for hospice care. The plan can keep covering care that isn't related to the hospice diagnosis. Call us and we'll help you sort out the details.

Can my loved one receive hospice if they live alone?

Often, yes. Many people start hospice while still living on their own. As the illness progresses, we help the family plan for when more help at home is needed.

Do you have Spanish-speaking hospice staff?

Yes. Bilingual, Spanish-speaking staff are available in El Paso and Las Cruces.

Hospice Care