Specialties
Hospice is a philosophy of caring for patients whose medical conditions are not responding to treatment or for those patients who choose not to seek aggressive medical care at the end stage of life. It is a program for patients who are considered terminal and are expected to live six months or less if the disease follows its natural course, although many patients outlive this time frame. The hospice philosophy focuses on comfort care not curative care. The goal of hospice care is for the patient to remain as comfortable and pain-free as possible in their own home or the home of a loved one through the end of life. Hospice care can also be provided in a long-term care facility or an assisted living facility.