November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. But what are hospice care and palliative care? Hospice care helps people who are nearing the end of their lives to live in comfort. This includes pain management, psychosocial support, and spiritual support. Hospice allows people to live out their final days with dignity, purpose, and in as much comfort as possible. Hospice care also covers the patient’s family during and after the patient’s death. Family care typically focuses on bereavement tools and emotional support. 

Hospice care is available in some assisted living facilities, nursing homes, select independent apartment communities, hospitals, and at home. According to the CDC, there are a little over 4,300 facilities in the country that specifically offer hospice care.

Also known as “comfort care,” Palliative care focuses on serious or life-threatening illnesses. While hospice provides end-of-life care, usually when the patient has 6 months or less to live, palliative care starts much sooner. People with terminal and potentially curable illnesses. 

This type of care provides pain management, emotional support, and family assistive care. Palliative care is available in some assisted living facilities, nursing homes, independent apartment communities, hospitals, and at home. 

History of Hospice Care

Hospice care originated in the 11th century during the Crusades. The term 'hospice care' used to refers to both the care itself as well as where it's provided. In the beginning, these establishments that offered hospitality for people who were nearing the end of their lives due to illness and those who were sick in any way as well as for pilgrims and travelers. 

In 1948 London, now British physician Dame Cicely Saunders began to work with terminally ill patients. She was a nurse at the time and her work changed the meaning of hospice care to specifically focus on those who were nearing the end of their lives due to terminal illness. 

In 1963, six years after she earned her Ph.D., Dr. Saunders officially introduced the idea of specialized care for the dying during a Yale University talk. Her concept involved keeping the patients comfortable in their last days rather than trying to cure the uncurable. During her talk, Dr. Saunders presented images of patients who were terminally ill with cancer before and after receiving specialized hospice care. The speech was addressed to an audience of doctors, nurses, chaplains, and medical students. The photographic evidence she represented made a powerful case for redefined hospice care. It was this that led to hospice care becoming available in the US.

In 1969, a book entitled On Death and Dying would further backup Dr. Saunders’ case. Author Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross included interviews with 500 dying patients. Dr. Kubler-Ross wrote about the benefits of home care and the necessity for terminally ill patients to live life with dignity and to the fullest in their final days. 

In 1972, Kubler-Ross testified before the US Senate Special Committee, emphasizing everyone has the right to die with dignity and make decisions about their end-of-life care, including being able to choose to pass away in the comfort of their own home. The first modern hospice was founded in the US in 1974. It then took until 1982 for Congress to pass Medicare hospice benefits, but it was heavily restricted until 1986. States were finally allowed to include hospice in their Medicaid programs in 1986. Since then, other bills have been passed to allow for more freedom and support in the implementation of hospice care.

History of Palliative Care

In 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) first recognized that Palliative care needs to be defined separately from hospice care. This new definition made it so that those who are seriously ill but not necessarily nearing the end of their lives received specialized care. Palliative care was now completely separate from hospice care. 

Today, a little over 75% of all hospitals with more than 300 beds offer palliative care programs. As the idea begins to spread, more types of care facilities are beginning to incorporate whole-person palliative care as well as hospice care. 

About Stephen’s Place

Based in Vancouver, Washington, Stephen’s Place is a modern community that offers both hospice care and palliative for adults with special needs.

Stephen’s Place is a private-pay apartment community due to our state-of-the-art amenities and programs. We are a nonprofit and do not profit from our community. We are private pay because we spend more than some housing communities to ensure that our residents are comfortable and can safely live their lives with independence and dignity.