According to The Hospice Foundation of America, the word “hospice” stems from the Latin word “hospitium” meaning guesthouse. It was originally used to describe a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages.

During the 1960s, Dr. Cicely Saunders, a British physician began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher’s Hospice near London. St. Christopher’s organized a team approach to professional caregiving, and was the first program to use modern pain management techniques to compassionately care for the dying. The first hospice in the United States was established in New Haven, Conn. in 1974.

Today there are more than 4,700 hospice programs in the United States. Hospice programs cared for 965,000 people enrolled in Medicare in 2006, and nearly 1.4 million people in the United States in 2007. In the Meridian area, the number of facilities has increased in recent years. The area is currently served by Community Hospices of America, Guardian Angel Hospice Inc., Harper’s Hospice Care Inc., Hometown Hospice, Hospice Care Group, Infinity Hospice, LLC, Queen City Nursing Center and Sta-Home Health & Hospice.

Hospice is not a place but a concept of care. Eighty percent of hospice care is provided in the patient’s home, family member’s home and in nursing homes. Inpatient hospice facilities are sometimes available to assist with caregiving.

Facts about Hospice:

• Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families when a life-limiting illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments.
• Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death.
• Hospice staff and volunteers offer a specialized knowledge of medical care, including pain management.
• The goal of hospice care is to improve the quality of a patient’s last days by offering comfort and dignity.
• Hospice care is provided by a team-oriented group of specially trained professionals, volunteers and family members.
• Hospice addresses all symptoms of a disease, with a special emphasis on controlling a patient’s pain and discomfort.
• Hospice deals with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of the disease on the patient and the patient’s family and friends.
• Hospice offers a variety of bereavement and counseling services to families before and after a patient’s death.

Source: The Hospice Foundation

As demand for hospice care has increased, so have the number of programs nationwide. Today, there are about 4,700 providers, up from about 3,300 five years ago, according to NHPCO. While the majority of providers are nonprofits, the for-profit sector is growing, accounting for 47.1 percent of hospice agencies last year.

Hospice is intended for any person who has a terminal illness and a prognosis of six months or less to live. Depending on the needs of each patient, care can include pain management, medications, medical supplies and equipment, and assistance with the emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of dying. A hospice team usually consists of nurses, home health aides, social workers, bereavement counselors, and clergy, as well as a hospice physician and the patient’s personal physician.

The benefit for Medicare and Medicaid patients is remarkably magnanimous. Medicare pays out $601 per patient per day for inpatient hospice care (and $789 per day for the typical patient who gets 24-hour home care), yet there are no copays, deductibles, or out-of-pocket expenses for the beneficiary. Private insurer hospice benefits offer a variety of hospice services, though they’re typically not as generous, according to the Hospice Association of America. To get Medicare or private insurance to cover hospice care, a patient needs only a physician’s referral. Hospice care is usually provided in the patient’s home. It can also be made available at a special hospice residence designed with a homelike atmosphere, or in assisted living or skilled nursing facilities.