According to the National Institutes of Health, over 90% of people under hospice care die within six months of being enrolled.

Also, research shows that approximately half of the patients in hospice care die within the first three weeks.

According to the National Institutes of Health, how long a person under hospice care will live is determined by five major factors: age, gender, diagnosis, Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) score, and hospice care location.

• Age. People in hospice younger than 65 are less likely to die within six months.
• Gender. Males have a greater death rate within six months than females.
• Diagnosis. Patients with cancer have a higher mortality rate than individuals with other diagnoses within the first six months after diagnosis.
• PPS score. A higher PPS score indicates a greater likelihood of dying sooner.
• Location. Individuals who are moved from a hospital to hospice have the highest chance of dying within six months, whereas patients admitted to hospice from nursing homes have the lowest chance.