For families facing life’s hardest goodbyes, hospice care can feel like uncharted territory. At University of Vermont Health–Home Health & Hospice, it becomes something else entirely: a circle of care that brings comfort, dignity and even moments of joy.

That commitment to whole-person support recently earned the organization’s hospice and palliative care program a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

What Does Five Stars Mean?

The CMS rating system evaluates hospice programs nationwide on key measures such as communication, timely help, pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, and family training. Home Health & Hospice achieved the highest possible score, placing its hospice and palliative care program among the top-performing programs in the country.

“This team truly loves what they do and are committed to the work,” says Annie Meredith-Mitchell, director of hospice and palliative care. “Our five-star rating reflects not just clinical excellence, but the compassion and dedication that define every interaction.”

She credits the interdisciplinary team — physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual caregivers, bereavement counselors and volunteers — for creating an environment where patients and families feel supported and empowered. “We care for people wherever they call home, and we’re available 24/7. In many ways, we become their 911.”

Care That Feels Like Family

For Erica Lustgarten of Burlington, those values came to life when her mother, Albertine DeGroot, entered hospice care after a degenerative heart condition left her weak, tired and unable to continue living her full and high-energy life.

“Some people think that if you go on hospice, you’re giving up,” Lustgarten says. “But what I say is, ‘If you go on hospice, you’re surrounded by this blanket of love and care and basic medicine, and it’s 10 times better than if you don’t do it.’”

That “blanket of care” included a team of seven professionals who supported both mother and daughter through every stage. “They became friends and confidantes,” Lustgarten recalls. “To have seven people loving you and caring about your everyday stuff is a lot. Some of us don’t have that in our entire lifetime.”

Why Early Conversations Matter

Hospice is available for the last six months of life, yet many families wait until the final days to seek care. Earlier referrals allow more time for symptom management, emotional support and meaningful moments together.

“We’re often called at the brink of death, and that’s a missed opportunity,” Meredith-Mitchell says. “We can help people make the most of whatever time they have left, giving them the precious gift of quality time.”