What is the definition or description of: hospice?

End of life care: At home, in hospital. Or in special center where goal is to maximize comfort- not extend life- of someone with a fatal and painful illness. At its best, it provides for a level of dignity for a person in their final days or weeks. Use of pain management is critical and avoidance of intrusive procedures is equally critical.

End of life care: Hospice is defined to be a facility that cares for terminally ill patients. For a patient to be admitted to hospice, he or she must have less than 6 months to live as per the expert opinion of the patient's physician. Most medical treatments for their terminal diagnosis have been stopped and patients receive only comfort care, i.E to reduce any pain or suffering they may be going through.

Hospice services: All hospices deliver a similar set of services. They include nursing, assistance with caregivers on a limited basis, chaplaincy, bereavement counseling, social worker and physician care (medical director in many cases). You are covered for many services and this includes medications related to your terminal diagnosis. The hospice team is there to help you transition in the last phase of life.