Goals of hospice care

Hospice is a service and philosophy of care for terminally ill patients. Its roots extend back to the Middle Ages, but it was developed into its present form by Dr Cicely Saunders at St Christopher's Hospice in London. Hospices use teamwork and careful listening to the patient to achieve the following goals (whether the patient is at home or in an inpatient unit): (a) to relieve the pain and suffering of the terminally ill; (b) to make possible a "good" death; (c) to help the family; (d) to assist in the search for meaning.