Hospice Health Dictionary

A hospital for accommodation and treatment of the terminally ill. Emphasis is not only upon appropriate physical treatment but upon the mind and psyche by generating a positive attitude to their illness. The patient is treated with compassion and accorded the special care to enable them to complete their days with dignity. Gradually, hospices are adopting some of the rational aspects of natural therapy in which is seen the increasing role of essential oils as used in Aromatherapy.

Information of the Hospice Movement is obtainable from The Hospice Information Service, St Christopher’s Hospice, 51-59 Lawrie Park Road, London SE26 6DZ, on receipt of a large self-addressed envelope stamped for 200g. 

A hospital or part of a hospital devoted to the care of patients who are terminally ill (see dying, care of the).

A hospital that cares only for the terminally ill and dying. The emphasis is on providing quality of life, and special care is taken in providing pain relief by whichever methods are deemed best suited to the person’s needs. Hospice care in the United Kingdom has been greatly developed, in particular with the leadership of Dr (Dame) Cicely Saunders. Many hospices are funded by charitable funds and their activities supported by voluntary workers.

n. an institution that provides palliative or end-of-life care for people with terminal illnesses. Most modern hospices are modelled on St Christopher’s Hospice, founded in London in 1967 by Dame Cicely Saunders. They specialize in symptom management and often also provide spiritual and psychological help. Support for the families of the patients is also a feature of the services provided by most hospices. Hospice at Home services provide specialist palliative care for terminally ill patients in their own homes. See also dying; palliative.