Hospice 101
By Angela Morrow, RN, About.com Guide to Palliative Care
Hospice is a philosophy of care that focuses on patient comfort rather than curing illnesses. Find everything you want and need to know about hospice care, including eligibility, coverage, and pain and symptom management.
What is Hospice?
Hospice is a philosophy of care, focusing on comfort rather than cure. It is the most common form of palliative care available.
- What is Hospice Care?
- Levels of Hospice Care
- The Medicare Hospice Benefit
- Finding Hospice and Palliative Care
- 4 Myths about Hospice
- The Tiniest of Patients: Perinatal Hospice
- Hospice FAQ: Does Choosing Hospice Mean Giving Up Hope?
Hospice Care or Palliative Care?
What separates hospice care from palliative care? The answer lies in the patient's life expectancy and goals of care.
- Hospice versus Palliative Care
- What is Palliative Care?
- Palliative Care for Children
- Palliative Care for Cancer
Comfort Care
Hospice care focuses on comfort. Comfort care is all-encompassing, treating pain and physical symptoms as well as emotional, social, and spiritual symptoms. Treating the whole person is essential to patient comfort.
