What does Hospice/palliative care mean?
Hospices are no longer used just for the last days of life. They offer a wide range of support, often alongside active treatment for an illness. The focus of modern hospice care is on helping people live well until they die-this may be by helping with emotional, physical, spiritual or social distress but at all times hospices/palliative care services are guided by principles of respect, choice, flexibilty and dignity. This type of care is generally for people whose illness is no longer curable; the disease may be at a more advanced and progressive stage. It aims to work with patients to help them achieve the best possible quality of life during their illness. Hospice care also reaches out to families and friends by supporting them through the patient’s illness and into bereavement. It treats each person as an individual and adopts a holistic approach taking into account all that is important to that person.
