Hospice - A Growing Option

In the recent past, a person with a terminal illness was usually expected and encouraged to fight to the end. So were the medical professionals, whose overriding responsibility was to prolong life. That emphasis started to change in 1967 when the modern hospice movement began. The movement was started by Dr. Cicely Saunders and her opening of St. Christopher’s Hospice in a London suburb.

The term hospice comes from the Latin word "hospitium", which means guesthouse or shelter for the weary traveler. However, hospice in its current usage does not describe a place. It is a concept of care that addresses medical, spiritual and psychological issues. It does not focus on a cure, but places a high value on patient comfort and dignity. The first hospice in the U.S. was The Connecticut Hospice, opened in 1974. Since then, many more programs have been developed.

In 2003, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization published the following data.

• There are approximately 3,300 hospice programs in the U.S. These programs served about 950,000 patients.
• Women are served a bit more than men, with 54% of the patients being female and 46% being male.
• The majority of the patients were seniors, with 63% being 75 years of age or older.
• Caucasians made up the majority of the patients, making up 81% of those served. African Americans made up 9% and Hispanics made up 4 %.
• Medicare certified 94% of the hospice programs and provided benefits to patients who had a prognosis of 6 months or less.
• 400,000 volunteers provided 18+ million hours of hospice care. (10% of all hours)