Hospice: Providing End-of-Life Care

Hospice is not a place. It is a way to care for someone who is nearing the end of life. Hospice helps people spend their final weeks the way they want. Most wish to stay at home and be cared for by loved ones and visiting hospice staff. Others prefer to go to inpatient hospice units.

Hospice care ensures that the patient remains comfortable and pain-free. Care is focused on making the patient's remaining weeks or months meaningful and positive. Hospice care does not hurry the death process or try to delay it. Dying with dignity is the goal.

A hospice nurse works with the patient's family to help them provide the necessary care. The hospice arranges for supplies, equipment and medications. Families are given a contact person they can call around-the-clock for help.

The patient's emotional and spiritual needs - as well as medical conditions - are addressed. Therapy might include massage, listening to music or talking to a volunteer. Clergy, counselors, home health aides and therapists may be part of the hospice team.

Care for the caregiver
The hospice team helps caregivers, too. Families are told what to expect as their loved one's illness advances. If the caregiver needs a break, a hospice team member can fill in. A hospice social worker visits the family regularly. He or she can refer the family for counseling or legal services if needed. The hospice team usually provides emotional support to grieving families for a year after a patient dies.

Unfortunately, many terminally ill people and their families do not get to take advantage of hospice services. Many wait too long to start the program. They may not talk about end-of-life care until a crisis happens. When family members finally ask loved ones how they would like to spend their remaining days, there may be no time to look into options.

Dying is a hard topic to bring up. Families are urged to talk about the issues ahead of time, for everyone's benefit. Hospice care is open to patients of any age, with any illness. It is geared towards patients who are not expected to live more than six months to a year.

Related Articles What is Hospice Care? Preparing for the End of Your Life How to talk about end of life care

External Sources National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. End of Life Care. Accessed January 19, 2007. AARP. Hospice for End of Life Care. Accessed January 19, 2007. Hospice Net.FAQs About Hospice. Accessed January 19, 2007.

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