Hospice. An essential and growing part of the continuum of care

When hospice was first introduced to America more than 25 years ago, terminal illness was a forbidden subject. Today, there are more than 1,700 hospices in this country; the largest growth in recent years has occurred in home health agency- and hospital-based hospices. There will be an even greater reliance on hospice services in the near future as the baby boomers and their parents confront their mortality.