Hospice is not a place, but it did start out that way! The word hospice comes from the Latin word "hospitium" which means "guesthouse". Long ago in days of yore, when travelers, weary and sick, were returning from pilgrimages to distant lands, they could find rest at a "hospice." In the 1960's, the first modern hospices were formed. Today, over 80% of hospice care is provided in the patient's home, family member's home or nursing home!
Hospice as we know it today is not a place, but rather, as defined by the Hospice Foundation of America, "A concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatment."
Hospice care neither prolongs life or hastens death. It is all about making life the best it possibly can be for whatever legnth of time the patient has left. And while most patients in hospice care are looking at six months or less, many patients stay on hospice for years and many more even get better and end up not needing it at all! Hospice has a team of professionals that include a doctor, nurse, aide, chaplain, social worker and volunteers that work together to create and execute a plan of care which is designed to support both the patient and family members who take care of them. Dealing with end stage illness is never easy, but hospice eases the process as much as is possible........Myth #1 - BUSTED!
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