A History of Hospice Care: From Medieval Roots to Modern Practice

Offering shelter to the sick and tired, the history of hospice care dates back to medieval times when strangers offered their "hospitality" to travelers. However, the first modern hospice didn't appear until the late 1960s--in a residential suburb in London. Drawing attention to the various stages of the terminally ill, many doctors and caregivers of today still push for improvements in hospice care.

History

• Physician Dame Cicely Saunders established the first hospice of modern times (St. Christopher's) in 1967, and used the term "hospice care" to signify specialized treatment given to dying patients. In 1969, Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross used more than 500 interviews with terminally ill patients to write the book "On Death and Dying," further pushing the concept of hospice care.

Function

• Hospice allows patients the option of treatment within the comfort of their own residence--instead of receiving care at an institution, such as a hospital or nursing home.

Types

• Hospice care involves four levels of nursing attention: routine home, crisis (temporary 24-hour care), general inpatient and inpatient respite, which provides short-term relief for caregivers.

Advancements

• In 1979, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) established preliminary programs at 26 hospices around the United States, in an effort to analyze the efficiency of hospice care. In 1986, states started incorporating hospice care into Medicaid programs.

Fun Fact

• In 1999, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in honor of hospice care.