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What Is...Hospice and Hospice Care?

by Gilbert Guide

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Hospice is a type of palliative care designed to support a patient through the last stages of a terminal illness, when the goal is no longer to cure the illness. At this point, regular medical treatment is no longer considered beneficial. Instead, the goal of hospice is to minimize pain and suffering. Although hospice care is usually administered in the patient's residence, it can also take place in an inpatient hospice facility. When necessary, hospice services can be called into assisted living facilities and nursing homes, as long as those facilities carry a hospice waiver.

Posted in: Glossary, Glossary, Hospice & Palliative Care: The Difference, Hospice Care