One Senior Place
Hospice and End of Life Services - What You Should Know...
The word "hospice" stems from the Latin word "hospitium" meaning guesthouse. It was originally used to describe a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages. During the 1960's, Dr. Cicely Saunders, a British physician began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher's Hospice near London. St. Christopher's organized a team approach to professional caregiving, and was the first program to use modern pain management techniques to compassionately care for the dying. The first hospice in the United States was established in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974.
Today there are more than 3,200 hospice programs in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam. Hospice programs cared for nearly 885,000 people in the United States in 2002.
Considered to be the model for quality, compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury, hospice and palliative care involve a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the patient's needs and wishes. Support is provided to the patient's loved ones as well.
The focus of hospice relies on the belief that each of us has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and that our loved ones will receive the necessary support to allow us to do so. The focus is on caring, not curing and in most cases, care is provided to you in your own home. Hospice can be provided in freestanding hospice facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Hospice is available to persons of any age, religion or race. Hospice care is covered under Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations.