How Good Is Hospice at Managing Pain and Distressing Symptoms?
In the absence of hospice, patients in the last year of life experience a marked, unrelenting increase in pain and…
Why Black Americans Receive Less Hospice
A large body of research connects timely use of hospice with a long list of benefits. Benefits include improved symptom…
Medicare Requires Hospice to Use Volunteers
Many people are surprised to learn that Medicare, as a condition of participation, requires certified hospice agencies to recruit, train,…
Why People with Kidney Disease Do Not Use Hospice
People with advanced kidney disease prove half as likely to use hospice as people with terminal cancer, and they use…
Half of Patients Seem to Misunderstand Palliative Treatments to Be Curative
In cancer care, chemotherapy can be delivered in an attempt to cure the cancer, or it can be administered only…
Dying Patients Less Likely to Have Effective Pain Control Than Ten Years Ago, Especially Non-Whites
High levels of pain are an unfortunate but usually manageable part of dying – especially when the diagnosis is cancer.…
What is a Hospice Graduate?
Nurses often use the term “Hospice graduate” to describe patients who, during hospice care, improve to the extent that they…
Do Doctors Honor the Wishes of Their Dying Patients?
During end-of-life care, honoring a patient’s wishes is widely considered a key component of quality care. Patients and families, with…
Families Who Refuse a Hospice Visit at Time of Death
When a loved one is dying at home, families may or may not receive a time-of-death visit from a hospice…
COVID-19 Lessens Use of Hospice in the U.S.
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice recently conducted a survey of American hospice agencies. They report that the…
