The Origin of Hospice; Diana Cazier Shares

Diana Cazier

           

            While I was doing some research for my paper I came across some info that I didn’t know about the origins of Hospice.  I thought that I would share them with you.

            Did you know that the origin of the word hospice is host or hospitality?  The term can be traced back to medieval times when it referred to a place of shelter and rest for weary or ill travelers on a long journey. The definition in healthcare terms is; a facility or program designed to provide a caring environment for meeting the physical and emotional needs of the terminally ill (Merriam-Webster, 2010).  Hospice as a concept has been around throughout history.  Families have long taken care of their loved ones through the end of life.  The modern concept of Hospice was developed in England by Dame Cicely Saunders, who founded the first modern Hospice—St. Christopher’s Hospice—in a residential suburb of London in 1967 (NHPCO, 2010).  The United States followed the Saunders model of giving support and palliative care to the dying. 

            In 1969 Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross published a book entitled On Death and Dying which was based on interviews with 500 dying patients.  In her book Kubler-Ross makes a plea for a more home based care as opposed to care in an institutional setting.  Throughout the 1970s the subject was debated by Congress to provide funding for Hospice programs and in 1982 Congress included a provision to create a Medicare Hospice benefit.   In 1986 the Medicare Hospice Benefit was made permanent by Congress.  States are given the option of including Hospice in their Medicaid programs (NHPCO, 2010).  The Medicare and Medicaid funding of Hospice care was important in that it was now affordable for the majority of patients through either those two entities or private insurance.

            The thing that I find the most interesting is how new all of this is.  Let’s face it, health care in some form or another has been around for a long time.  Hospice as a health care option is relatively new.  So many times hospice is the best form of care a person can and should have but they don’t even realize that it is out there.  This is where all of us can help.  We can all learn about hospice and share what we know with others.  In this way we can make sure that the terminally ill patient can receive the best care possible.