What’s the Difference Between Hospice & Palliative Care?
American hospice service started with the Connecticut Hospice in March 1974. Today, there are over 2,884 Medicare-certified hospices, and an additional 200 volunteer hospices in the U.S., with as many as 1.5 million Americans seeking hospice treatment in recent years. As a program designed to facilitate “palliative” care for terminally ill patients and their families—many people wonder, what then is the difference between hospice and palliative care, or are they one in the same? While palliative care addresses patients with life-threatening illnesses, anyone—regardless of life expectancy—can receive this type of care. Hospice, meanwhile, provides for patients who can no longer benefit from regular medical treatment, per a doctor’s determination, and are in the last stages of a terminal illness. Hospice and palliative care share the philosophy of maintaining and managing the patient’s quality of life. Palliative care programs generally address the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual n
