Health Care Support

Hospice provides care for terminally ill patients by a team of physicians, nurses, social workers, clergy, and volunteers. This is an interdisciplinary team that provides care and support in each of these before mentioned specialized fields. Hospice is end-of-life care that provides medical, mental, and spiritual support to the patient as well as the family. Hospice strives for quality of life in this final stage, not on lengthening the life of the patient.

Hospice care is a concept that provides specialized care for dying patients. This was introduced by a physician named Cicely Saunders in 1963, during a visit and lecture at Yale University. “Her lecture, given to medical students, nurses, social workers, and chaplains about the concept of holistic hospice care, included photos of terminally ill cancer patients and their families, showing the dramatic differences before and after the symptom control care“ (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Janu).

Hospice provides palliative care or comfort care. This helps to control pain and relieve symptoms of the disease as much as possible. The goal is to allow the patient to stay alert and comfortable in the final stages of the disease. Services may include counseling, medications, physical care, and any necessary equipment. Hospice care involves the patient and the family in decisions. According to Cancer.org, hospice nurses or social workers schedule routine family conferences to keep family members updated on what to expect with the disease process, to allow time for questions about the condition, and to help them learn about death and the dying process. Family members can find support in the hospice caregivers through family conferences. Daily conferences are possible during routine visits.

The patient demographics that receive hospice services are medically qualified patients. This includes any race, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender, or disability, whether physical, or...