Hospice is unfamiliar to a lot of people, and understandably so. Rather than attempting to cure people, hospice attempts to make the last stages of an incurable disease as enjoyable as possible, choosing to treat the person rather than treating the disease. Because of this, hospice is considered one of the most humane and compassionate forms of care, and many people are very thankful they have the option to use it in the later stages of a disease such as Alzheimer’s.

The hospice philosophy simply stated is that it neither hastens nor postpones death, but rather places emphasis on quality of life, rather than length of life. Hospice supporters believe in family centered care, involving both the patient and the family in the care, rather than some doctor deciding what’s best for the patient. One of the advantages of hospice care is that it can be administered in a variety of locations, including a hospital, a nursing home, a private hospice facility, or even the patient’s home. In the vast majority of hospice in the U.S., the primary caregiver is a family member.

Hospice care is only given when medicine has done all it can do, and the life expectancy of the patient is six months or less. The patient, the patient’s family and the doctor decide when hospice should begin.

There are several different types of hospice care to be aware of. The first type is what’s more commonly known as an interdisciplinary team, which is compromised of various professionals, such as nurses, doctors, councilors, therapists and volunteers. They each specialize in a different part of caring for the patient.

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