Hospice Care

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

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• Related Issues

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Hospice care is end-of-life care. A team of health care professionals and volunteers provides it. They give medical, psychological, and spiritual support. The goal of the care is to help people who are dying have peace, comfort, and dignity. The caregivers try to control pain and other symptoms so a person can remain as alert and comfortable as possible. Hospice programs also provide services to support a patient's family.

Usually, a hospice patient is expected to live 6 months or less. Hospice care can take place

• At home
• At a hospice center
• In a hospital
• In a skilled nursing facility

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• Choices for Care When Treatment May Not Be an Option (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• End of Life (Caring for a Dying Loved One) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• End of Life (Hospice Care) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• End of Life (Supporting a Terminally Ill Loved One) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Hospice Care
• What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care? (National Institute on Aging)

Related Issues

• Artificial Nutrition (Food) and Hydration (Fluids) at the End of Life (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - PDF
• Helping You Choose Quality Hospice Care (Joint Commission) - PDF Also in Spanish
• If You or Someone You Love is Very Ill...Ask Tough Questions (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - PDF
• Medicare Hospice Benefits (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Offering Spiritual Support for Family or Friends (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - PDF
• Palliative Care Questions and Answers (Hospice Care Comparison) (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)

Statistics and Research

• FastStats: Hospice Care (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hospice Care (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: How we use hospice: Hospice enrollment patterns and costs in elderly...
• Article: The Animal as Patient: Ethology and End-of-Life Care.
• Article: Hospice utilization in advanced cervical malignancies: An analysis of the National...
• Hospice Care -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Glossary (Center to Advance Palliative Care)

Find an Expert

• Find a Hospice or Palliative Care Provider (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)
• Hospice Directory - Hospice Foundation of America (Hospice Foundation of America)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

Patient Handouts

• Hospice care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish