Hospice is more than a program or building. It is a unique philosophy of health care for patients with a life-limiting illness who are have been told they have six months or less to live and focuses on enhancing the quality of a patient’s life while also providing support to the caregiving family. Hospice ensures patients and their loved ones that the dying process will be pain-free and dignified.
Potentially life-prolonging intervention can be provided to patients based on the patient’s wishes and as part of a comprehensive care plan.
The core concepts of hospice are:
- pain management and symptom control
- physical, emotional, social and spiritual support for the patient and family
- acceptance of death as a natural part of the life cycle
The goals of hospice are:
- to keep the patient comfortable as the illness progresses by relieving symptoms, neither hastening death nor prolonging life but allowing the disease to take its natural course
- to enhance the end of life by providing compassionate care that allows patients to maintain a sense of dignity and to live their final days to the fullest, in peace and without pain, in a loving environment.
Need more information about hospice care? Read our frequently asked questions.
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Hospice Care It’s a special way of caring for people with serious illness and their families. Our purpose is to help people maintain dignity and control over their own lives and care. That means we care for their physical, emotional and spiritual needs.