When a patient enrolls in hospice, is he/she, in effect, giving up hope?
A. No. When a patient enrolls in a hospice program it does not mean that they are simply giving up hope and waiting to die. Rather it means that they are choosing to live each day as fully as possible, as pain-free as possible, with as much control and functioning as possible. Choosing hospice means choosing the hope and fullness that life has to offer. At a certain stage of a disease process, it may become apparent that further aggressive treatments are not going to cure the disease. Rather than continue to pursue further heroic interventions that may cause additional suffering and indignity while prolonging life for only a short period, patients may choose to change the focus of their care to one that emphasizes comfort and quality of life.
