HSHS Hospice Program

Hospice is a program that cares for patients who are considered to be in the last phase of life. Hospice provides support and help for these patients and for their families. Hospice is not a place, but a philosophy of care that recognizes that death is likely near and that improving the quality of life has greater importance than increasing the length of life.

The program focuses on helping the patient live well until death comes. Hospice services attend to the emotional needs as well as medical issues. They are provided by a team consisting of our medical director, nurses, social worker, chaplain, hospice aides, volunteers, and volunteer/ bereavement coordinator. All members of the Hospice Team are specially trained in helping people with terminal illness. They know and understand the emotional responses to illness, and they do all they can to ensure that everyday life happens as much as possible for the patient and his/ her family.