North America Hospice

Hospices provide palliative, rather than curative, care to terminally ill patients and their families. This often involves an interdisciplinary approach, encompassing medical, psychological, and spiritual care. Over 90% of hospice care is based in the home, the place where most patients say they prefer to die. The main focus is on keeping the patient comfortable and free of pain, as well as making sure that any advance directives or other final wishes are followed.

The average interval between admission into a hospice program and death is about two months, although some patients utilize hospice services for six months or more. About half of all hospice patients die from cancer, however, heart disease, dementia, lung disease, kidney disease and liver disease also account for a large proportion of mortalities. This is a shift from the early 1990s, when more than 75% of hospice residents were admitted with terminal cancers, and reflects increasing acceptance of hospice services for a broader range of conditions.