Simply put, hospice is not a place -- it’s a medical and philosophical approach to care.
The hospice team provides medical, emotional and spiritual support to individuals with terminal illnesses and their families. Although hospice care is often associated with cancer patients, it is also a resource for people in the final stages of chronic diseases like emphysema, ALS, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, neuromuscular, kidney and liver disease, and other life-limiting conditions.
Hospice care may be delivered in the person’s home, or it may be in a hospital, nursing home, assisted living center or hospice facility. Doctors, nurses, medical social workers, pharmacists and other hospice care staff use the latest practices and technologies to manage pain and symptoms, and to create the best quality of life during end of life.
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