Hospice is a non-institutional health care alternative for terminally ill persons. Nearly all hospice care is delivered to a patient in his or her home. When treatment appears futile, many terminally ill patients have chosen to spend their last days at home with the help of a hospice program. Hospice care is more of a treatment philosophy, used by patients when they no longer desire aggressive care for their disease. Hospices do not focus on reversing disease.
Hospice is a non-institutional health care alternative for terminally ill persons. Nearly all hospice care is delivered to a patient in his or her home. When treatment appears futile, many terminally ill patients have chosen to spend their last days at home with the help of a hospice program. Hospice care is more of a treatment philosophy, used by patients when they no longer desire aggressive care for their disease. Hospices do not focus on reversing disease. They emphasize pain treatment and palliative care (alleviating symptoms) through an interdisciplinary team approach comprised of nurses, social workers, physicians, dietitians, home health aides and highly trained volunteers. Hospices provide nursing care, medical equipment such as movable beds or walkers, drugs, social services, and physical therapy. Programs are usually run by home health agencies or visiting nurse associations in consultation with a physician.
See:
Definition & History of Hospice & Palliative Care Fact Sheet
Hospice (Adopted from: South Australian VES — SAVES)
Palliative Care Definition