Also called: Also called: End-of-life care
Hospice care is end-of-life care provided by health professionals and volunteers. 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
National Cancer Institute
- Hospice Care(Administration on Aging) - http://www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/Resources/Fact_Sheets/hospice_care.aspx
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JAMA Patient Page: Hospice Care(American Medical Association) - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/295/6/712.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/data/295/6/712/DC1/1
- What Is Hospice Care?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/eto/content/eto_2_5x_what_is_hospice_care.asp?sitearea=mlt
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Hospice
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/support/hospice
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/rehabilitation/hospice-spanish -
Hospice(National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - http://www.caringinfo.org/CaringForSomeone/Hospice/TheHospiceTeam.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.caringinfo.org/UserFiles/File/PDFs/HospiceCare/CuidadoHospicio.pdf
- Artificial Nutrition (Food) and Hydration (Fluids) at the End of Life(National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - Links to PDF - http://www.caringinfo.org/UserFiles/File/PDFs/ArtificialNutritionAndHydration.pdf
- End of Life: Caring for Your Dying Loved One(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/cancer/CA00048/METHOD=print
- Offering Spiritual Support for Family or Friends(National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - Links to PDF - http://www.caringinfo.org/UserFiles/File/faith_brochure.pdf
- Terminal Illness: Interacting with a Terminally Ill Loved One(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/grief/CA00041/METHOD=print
- Helping You Choose Quality Home Care and Hospice Services(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) - http://www.jointcommission.org/GeneralPublic/Choices/hc_ome.htm
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Hospice Care in the Nursing Home(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/pat-advocacy/endoflife/250.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/pat-advocacy/endoflife/250.printerview.html
- If You or Someone You Love is Very Ill...Ask Tough Questions(National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - Links to PDF - http://www.caringinfo.org/UserFiles/File/PDFs/Caregiving/asktoughquestions.pdf
- Long-Term Care Planning Tool(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - http://www.medicare.gov/LTCPlanning/Include/DataSection/Questions/SearchCriteria.asp
- What Is Your Hospice IQ?(American Hospice Foundation) - http://www.americanhospice.org/index.php?option=com_quiz&task=user_tst_shw&Itemid=55&tid=1
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Medicare and Hospice Benefits(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - Links to PDF - http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11361.pdf
- Who Pays for Hospice Care?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/eto/content/eto_2_5x_what_pays_for_hospice_care.asp?sitearea=mlt
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Hospice Care(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=%22Hospice+Care%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Input sought on hospice legislative and regulatory priorities for 2009. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19278122&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Bringing back Christmas. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19278114&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Exploring new opportunities in hospice pharmacy. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19275453&tool=MedlinePlus
- Hospice Care -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hospices[majr]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary(Beth Israel Medical Center, Dept. of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care) - http://www.stoppain.org/main_site/content/glossary.asp
- Glossary of Key Children's Hospice Terms(Children's Hospice International) - http://www.chionline.org/resources/glossary.php
- American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician Directory(American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine) - http://www.association-office.com/ABHPM/etools/publicdir/search.cfm
- Find a Provider: Member Hospice and Palliative Care Programs(National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - http://iweb.nhpco.org/iweb/Membership/MemberDirectorySearch.aspx?pageid=3257&showTitle=1
- Locate a Hospice(Hospice Foundation of America) - http://www.hospicedirectory.org/
- Worldwide Database of Programs Caring for Children with Life-Threatening Conditions and Their Families(Children's Hospice International) - http://www.chionline.org/resources/locate.php
- Children's Hospice International - http://www.chionline.org/
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National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/
- National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization - http://www.nhpco.org/
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Medicare Hospice Benefits(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) - Links to PDF - http://www.medicare.gov/publications/pubs/pdf/02154.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/02154_S.pdf
- What Are My Rights As a Patient?(National Association for Home Care & Hospice) - http://www.nahc.org/famcar_rights.html
- FastStats: Hospice Care(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/hospicecare.htm
- Hospice Care in America(National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization) - Large PDF file - http://www.nhpco.org/files/public/Statistics_Research/NHPCO_facts-and-figures_2008.pdf
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Enhance End-of-Life Care - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/spring08/articles/spring08pg23.html
- About Children's Hospice, Palliative, and End-of-Life Care(Children's Hospice International) - http://www.chionline.org/resources/about.php
- Difference between Adult Hospice and Children's Hospice(Children's Hospice International) - http://www.chionline.org/resources/difference.php
- Palliative Care and Hospice(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=16
- End of Life Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/endoflifeissues.html
- Home Care Services - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/homecareservices.html
- Palliative Care - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/palliativecare.html
- Health System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthsystem.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Hospice Care is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/