Hospice care

Hospice care helps people with illnesses that cannot be cured and who may be nearing death. The goal is to give comfort and peace instead of a cure. Hospice care provides:

Most hospice patients are in their last 6 months of life.

When you choose hospice care, you have decided that you no longer want care to try to cure your terminal illness. This means no longer receiving treatment that is intended to cure any of your chronic health problems. Common illnesses for which this decision is made include cancer, and severe heart, lung, kidney, liver, or neurologic illnesses. Instead, any treatment provided is intended to keep you comfortable and support your family and loved ones.

Your health care providers cannot make the decision for you, but they can answer questions and help you make decisions such as:

Starting hospice care changes the way you will be receiving care, and it may change who will be providing the care.

Hospice care is given by a team. This team usually includes health care providers, nurses, social workers, counselors, aides, clergy, and therapists. The team works together to offer the patient and family comfort and support.

Someone from your hospice care team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide any support or help you, your loved ones, or your family needs.

Hospice care treats the mind, body, and spirit. Services may include:

The hospice team is trained to help the patient and family with the following:

Hospice care most often takes place in the patient's home or the home of a family member or friend.

It also may be given in other locations, including:

The person in charge of care is called the primary care giver. This may be a spouse, life partner, family member, or friend. In some settings the hospice team will teach the primary care giver how to care for the patient. Caring could include turning the patient in bed, and feeding, bathing, and giving the patient medicine. The primary care giver will also be taught about signs to look for, so they know when to call the hospice team for help or advice.

Arnold RM, Kutner JS. Palliative care. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 3.

Medicare.gov website. Medicare hospice benefits. www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/02154-Medicare-Hospice-Benefits.PDF. Updated March 2023. Accessed February 13, 2024.

Nabati L, Abrahm JL. Caring for patients at the end of life. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Kastan MB, Doroshow JH, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 51.

Shreves A, Quest TE. End of life. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap e5.



Review Date: 2/3/2024
Reviewed By: Frank D. Brodkey, MD, FCCM, Associate Professor, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
© 1997- adam.comAll rights reserved.
A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.