In an article about hospice programs Elizabeth Simpson highlights the Hospice Alliance of Hampton Roads. This alliance has been meeting for the last six months to discuss how a new hospice house would increase the comfort of people in the terminal stage of their lives, and give their families a break from caregiving.

From the article on PilotOnline.com by Elizabeth Simpson:

As the population ages, though, there are more instances where a spouse or relative isn’t able to care for a family member at home. The patient, though, often prefers a homelike setting rather than a hospital or nursing home for pain management and for help relieving other symptoms.

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, there were about 450 free-standing or hospital-based hospice units in the country in 2007.

Although most people receiving hospice care live at home - 70 percent - a growing number are receiving end-of-life care in a hospice, according to the national group. That percentage increased from 17 percent in 2006 to 19 percent in 2007.

The hospices - both the free-standing ones and those based on a hospital campus - usually provide breaks for families who are caring for relatives at home, or when pain is too difficult to manage.

Click here to read the full article.

In the article one of the participants in the Hospice Alliance hopes that this “effort for a free-standing hospice would be something people across agencies could work together on as volunteers”. What do you think, would this be an improvement for the aging population and their families? And would this hospice house provide the comfort of a homelike setting that people appreciate?