What is "Hospice?"
The word "Hospice" originated in medieval Europe and described a place where travelers could seek shelter, nourishment, and rest.
Today, the hospice concept has been adapted to mean a program of care that meets the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs of people on the last stage of life. Hospice exists to provide support and care for persons in the last stage of an incurable disease so that they might live as fully and comfortably as possible. Hospice recognizes dying as a normal process, neither hastening nor postponing death.
Hospice is a coordinated program of home and hospital care which treats the patient and family as a unit. An interdisciplinary team of professionals and specially trained volunteers provide the necessary care to meet the special needs which arise out of the crisis of terminal illness.
Hospice History
The Hospice philosophy affirms life and regards dying as a normal process, which should be neither hastened nor prolonged. When a cure is no longer possible, Hospice means comfort and quality of life. Hospice is a concept of specialized care for people of all ages with terminal illness.
Hospice is an idea, not a place. Our purpose is to provide support and care for persons in the last phase of an incurable disease so that they can live as fully and comfortably as possible. Hospice believes that through personalized services and a caring community, patients and families can attain the necessary preparation for death that is satisfactory to them.