Clinical Excellence, Closer to Home

Sonder Hospice delivers rapid-response, expert symptom management across Central Texas, keeping families connected and comfortable.

CENTRAL TEXAS ROOTED

Local Clinical Expertise, Right at Your Doorstep

When a crisis arises at 2:00 AM, timing is everything. Because our team lives and works right here in Central Texas, we know how to navigate Austin traffic and Williamson County backroads to reach your home fast. We handle the clinical heavy lifting so you can stop acting like a case manager and simply be a family again.

RAPID DISCHARGE

Comfortable Hospital-to-Home Transitions

Leaving the hospital should bring relief, not chaos. Our dedicated discharge protocol eliminates waiting periods so your loved one returns home safely and comfortably.

ADVANCED COGNITIVE SUPPORT

Dementia & Twilight Restlessness Protocols

Memory loss requires a specialized roadmap. Every Sonder nurse is dementia-certified, using gentle sensory techniques to de-escalate agitation without heavy sedation.

INNOVATIVE CLINICAL RELIEF

Physician-Guided Texas Compassionate Use

One of the few Austin-area hospices integrating medical cannabis under physician supervision. We provide precise dosing protocols to treat breakthrough pain, intractable nausea, and severe end-of-life anxiety without the fog of heavy narcotics.

“Stabilizing comfort while preserving connection, cognitive clarity, and dignity.”

WHOLE-PERSON WELLNESS

Restorative Therapies for Body & Spirit

Our support extends far beyond standard medicine. We integrate proven restorative therapies that bring calm, ease physical tension, and nourish emotional well-being.

THE SONDER DIFFERENCE

Comprehensive Support for the Whole Journey

Sonder Continuous Care: Hospital-Level Comfort Care at Home

During challenging seasons, your home should remain a sanctuary of peace, dignity, and warmth. Our specialized clinical team provides continuous bedside care to ensure comfort is always within reach.

CRITICAL HOME CARE SOLUTIONS

Sonder Continuous Care Benefits

Providing round-the-clock clinical excellence directly to your bedside during times of intensive need, ensuring comfort and peace of mind.

100% Covered Benefit

Fully covered by Medicare and standard private insurance plans, delivering zero out-of-pocket stress for qualifying patients.

Intensive Bedside Care

Providing round-the-clock intensive shift care (8 to 24 hours daily) to manage advanced symptoms and physical comfort.

Skilled Clinical Focus

Directly coordinated and led by experienced RNs and LVNs trained in precise medical administration and gentle physical support.

Avoids ER Visits

Preventative medical intervention at home avoids demanding, high-stress hospital trips and unnecessary emergency room stays.

Why Austin Families Rely on Sonder

We bring world-class clinical expertise directly into your home, ensuring your loved ones receive continuous, compassionate, and highly coordinated care.

Hospital-Level Precision

Receive sophisticated clinical monitoring and specialized care routines without leaving the comfort and safety of your own familiar home.

Connection Over Coordination

We take the administrative and scheduling burden off your shoulders, freeing you to focus purely on meaningful family moments and quality time.

Support for Senior Living

We seamlessly integrate our private nursing inside Austin’s premier retirement communities, collaborating with onsite staff to elevate daily care.

ACTIVATION FLOW

Our 5-Step Response Guide

A structured, rapid workflow that delivers instant peace of mind from clinical trigger to continuous stabilization.

01

Identify Need

Recognize patient physical changes, discomfort signals, or transitions requiring elevated daily support.

02

Contact Triage

Speak directly to a dedicated triage specialist. All medical symptoms and alerts are instantly charted.

03

Rapid Dispatch

A specialized clinical team is dispatched. Equipment and intervention toolsets are pre-prepared.

04

Stabilization

On-site assessment, active comfort control, and clinical coordination stabilize the crisis.

05

De-escalation

Ensure smooth handoffs back to the primary care routine with updated medical action plans.

Need urgent coordination or want to prepare a care response plan?

Call Our Triage Team

Qualifying Clinical Crises

Under Medicare and hospice guidelines, continuous bedside care is initiated during acute, temporary periods of uncontrolled symptomatology. Below are the primary qualifying clinical crises.

Refractory Pain Storms

Sudden, severe escalations of pain unresponsive to standard hospice dosing regimens, requiring intensive, short-term medication titration and continuous clinical monitoring to restore patient comfort.

Respiratory Distress

Acute dyspnea, extreme shortness of breath, or terminal secretions causing patient agitation and distress, requiring constant medical interventions and skilled nursing support at the bedside.

Terminal Delirium & Agitation

Severe restlessness, terminal confusion, hallucinations, or combativeness that compromises the patient's immediate physical safety and emotional well-being.

Intractable Nausea & Vomiting

Uncontrolled gastrointestinal distress resistant to standard oral antiemetics, requiring alternative administrative routes, constant re-evaluation, and continuous comfort measures.

Uncontrolled Seizures or Hemorrhage

Sudden onset of persistent seizure activity or severe acute bleeding requiring emergency medical management, immediate nursing intervention, and continuous physical stabilization.

Note: Clinical Symptom Crises vs. Routine Hospice Care

Continuous care is an intensive, short-term service provided by bedside nurses during acute clinical crises to manage runaway symptoms. It is distinct from routine care, which focuses on stable, everyday comfort and standard visits. Once the crisis resolves and symptoms are brought back under control, the patient returns to routine hospice support.

Navigating Palliative Care and Hospice in Greater Austin

Specialized comforting care should center around your family’s unique goals. We are here to support you with professional, compassionate care focused on quality of life and dignity at home.

Understanding Your Options

Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care

While both approaches offer comforting, supportive care to improve your quality of life, they are designed for different stages of a health journey.

Supportive Relief

Palliative Care

Allows you to continue seeking a cure while actively managing discomfort, stress, and therapeutic side effects.

Compassionate Comfort

Hospice Care

Chosen when curative treatments are no longer effective or desired, prioritizing peace and dignity in life's final chapters.

Compassionate Care Pathways

Understanding the differences between palliative and hospice care helps you make informed, peaceful decisions. Both pathways focus on comfort and dignity, but they serve different chapters of a health journey.

What is Palliative Care?

TIMING & ELIGIBILITY

Available at any stage of a serious or chronic illness. You can receive palliative support alongside active curative treatments and therapies.

CORE FOCUS

Pain relief, symptom management, and stress reduction. The goal is to maximize comfort and improve quality of life during your daily routines. Does not cover 24/7 care, aides, equipment, supplies, or medications. Generally, focuses on medication management.

GOAL & COVERAGE

Usually covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. It bridges communication gaps, helping align treatment choices with your personal values.

What is Hospice Care?

TIMING & ELIGIBILITY

Designed for individuals with a life expectancy of 6 months or less, when curative treatments are no longer effective or are stopped by choice.

CORE FOCUS

Total pain relief, profound emotional and spiritual comforting, and family counseling. It shifts the primary goal entirely to absolute peace and dignity.

GOAL & COVERAGE

Typically 100% covered by the Medicare Hospice Benefit, Medicaid, and private insurance. Includes 24/7 care coordination, equipment, aides, supplies, and different levels of care.

When HOSPICE STARTS

The Sanctuary Standard of Care

24/7 Continuous Care

Round-the-clock supportive home care ensuring immediate comfort and peaceful security in familiar surroundings.

Mobility & Comfort

Gentle range of motion exercises designed to support healthy circulation, physical alignment, and everyday physical ease.

Dementia Support

Specialized pathways to soothe memory challenges, preserving self-identity, dignity, and calm, familiar daily rhythms.

Multidisciplinary Team

An integrated circle of dedicated care providers working seamlessly to satisfy physical, emotional, and social needs.

When Is It Time to Talk About Care?

Recognizing the signs that your loved one needs professional comfort and specialized palliative care can bring clarity and peace of mind during a challenging journey.

01

Frequent ER Trips

Repeated hospital visits or emergency room calls often signal that daily health management needs have outpaced current home support.

02

Unintended Weight Loss

Noticeable changes in strength, skipped meals, or continuous weight loss are quiet indicators of declining physical vitality.

03

Difficulty Managing Pain

When baseline therapies no longer bring peace or physical comfort, professional symptom management provides essential relief.

04

Caregiver Burnout

Feeling overwhelmed or constantly fatigued is a natural sign that it is time to build a professional circle of support around your family.

Common Questions About Hospice Care

Navigating palliative and end-of-life decisions can raise many concerns. We are here to provide clarity and peaceful assurance for you and your loved ones.

Does choosing hospice mean giving up hope?

No. Choosing hospice is not giving up hope; rather, it shifts the focus of hope. Instead of hoping for a cure that may no longer be possible, hospice redirects hope toward quality of life, comfort, freedom from pain, and finding meaningful moments with family and friends in a comforting environment.

Can hospice care be provided in an ALF?

Yes, hospice care can absolutely be provided in an Assisted Living Facility (ALF). Hospice is a philosophy of care brought directly to the patient, wherever they call home. Our specialized team works in close partnership with the ALF staff to ensure comprehensive physical, emotional, and spiritual support is delivered seamlessly.

How long can someone receive hospice support?

Someone can receive hospice support for as long as they meet the clinical eligibility criteria. Generally, this means a physician certifies a life expectancy of six months or less if the illness runs its normal course. Hospice is structured in benefit periods, and patients can be re-certified indefinitely as long as they continue to qualify.

How is hospice care funded?

Hospice is 100% covered under the Medicare Hospice Benefit and most private insurance plans, resulting in zero out-of-pocket costs for eligible services. Coverage includes bedside clinical visits, medical equipment, comfort medications related to the hospice diagnosis, and personal care supplies

What happens during an acute symptom spike or medical crisis?

When acute symptoms break through routine management, specialized Continuous Home Care (CHC) brings round-the-clock bedside nursing to the home. Medicare covers this intensive care when a patient requires at least 8 aggregate hours of care within a 24-hour cycle to stabilize severe pain, respiratory distress, or agitation.

Who is on our hospice care team?

Can a patient improve and leave hospice care?

Yes, patients whose condition stabilizes or shows clinical improvement can be discharged from hospice services.Families always retain the right to revoke the hospice benefit at any time should they choose to pursue curative treatment options again.

How does hospice support family caregivers?

Hospice removes the burden of care coordination so adult children can step down from acting as full-time case managers and return to simply being family. Support includes 24/7 on-call triage access, hands-on caregiver training, emotional counseling, and long-term bereavement support.

How quickly can care begin once we call?

Care can be initiated rapidly, often with same-day admissions following a clinical assessment. Clinical triage teams are available 24/7 at (512) 354-7222 to evaluate patient needs, secure physician orders, and dispatch clinicians directly to the bedside.

Hospice is for those with a life expectancy of 6 months or less, but it can be renewed as long as the patient remains eligible.

Hospice Information Medicare Coverage Contact Us

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Welcome to Sonder Hospice

At Sonder Hospice, we are dedicated to providing compassionate, personalized care that honors the unique journey of every individual. Our team of experienced professionals supports patients and families with dignity, comfort, and peace of mind during life’s most delicate moments.