The Benefits of Hospice Care

Hospice is place that provides support and care for persons with incurable disease such that, patients are at the last phase of the disease. Hospices care provide provides pain-free support to their patient and making patient comfortable and maintaining the quality of the remaining life because they recognizes dying as part of the normal process of living. The focus of hospice is care and cure of patient. According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), hospice support patient with their needs; spiritual, emotional and physical needs so that patients/clients will be comfort. Hospice specialized in pain and symptoms management as well as support services proving counseling and education. Hospice is not a place patient receive hospice care the home (Corr, Vol 17, NO 1). Care is open to people of all ages including children but many times, it elderly people who have being diagnose by physician with terminal illness and have approximately six months to leave. Medications and customary equipment’s such as commode, wheelchair etc. are also covered by hospice (NHPCO, 2012).

The history and name hospice got its name from hospitality. In 1967, Dr. Cecily Saunders evented the first hospice was which was used for people who were terminally ill. However, the Hasting center Report, shows that in 1973, hospice emerges in the United State, and was used as a concept of care and not a place of care. Hospice upholds life and neither speeds nor postpones death. They offer palliative care to people with end of stage of life regardless of their age, gender, nationality, race, sexual orientation, etc. Hospice believes that proper care to the community will help patients and their families to be mentally and spiritually prepared for the death of their love ones. They provide 24/7 care in either home or facility base setting. The care of hospice is for patients who have chronic illness and have six month or less to live (NHPCO, 2012). Opiates mediation is used to treat pain. Hospice offer palliative care service to their patients to improve the quality of life. The primary goal is to control patient’s pain, symptoms management, and improve the quality of life (NHPCO, 2012). Hospice also provides bereavement services for families who have lost their love one. This is to help the family to cope with death. The bereavement services last for about a year or thirteen months after patients die. Families are offered individual counseling or support group (NHPCO, 2012).