People live in fear of the word hospice. Which is sad, because it is the single best thing you can do to give the latter months of life some real quality.

Hospice Care
Taped at the KEOM studios
May 28, 2002


Q: Today's topic is about hospice: what it means, who qualifies to receive hospice services, and how it can help people who are terminally ill, as well as their families. What do we need to know about hospice care, Barb?

A: Let's start with what hospice means - this can be confusing because some people think that hospice is a place and others believe it is a way of caring for people who are dying - and both groups are right! Specifically, hospice is a philosophy of care for terminally ill people. When a terminally ill person chooses hospice care, it means that they have chosen not to pursue further aggressive health care treatments to simply prolong life. They do not want to receive heroic