Who Needs Volunteer Hospices?
Traditional medical hospices work best for patients likely to die in a very short time, or who have a prognosis of less than six months. Medical advances in treating other eventually fatal illnesses (and so prolonging life, without curing illness, which is the case for heart failure and HIV/AIDS) leave many very sick patients outside the domain of medical hospice care. These patients may live for a year or more, but may still have very profound medical and psychosocial needs. Many may still be involved in treatment, which precludes their hospice eligibility. This gap in care makes the work of volunteer hospices vital to the lives of thousands of very sick people and their caregivers. “With volunteer hospices, there is no 6-month criteria, and patients do not have to refuse curative treatment,” says Walsh, who is affiliated with the Fox Valley Hospice in Geneva, Ill. “Volunteer hospices focus on those with life-threatening illnesses” rather than serving a more strictly defined patient g
