The History Of Hospice – Ancient Philosophies That Still Exist Today

The definition of hospice today is a coordinated program providing Palliative (comfort rather than aggressive care), pain management and emotional support to meet the unique needs of patients and families facing limited life expectancies of generally less than 6 months. Hospices frequently offer bereavement services to families up to one year following the patient’s death.

The concept of “hospice” dates back to medieval times when it was a place where weary travelers found shelter and temporary respite from their journeys. Religious groups primarily operated these shelters for those on spiritual pilgrimages. As time passed, they begin to care for the sick, the hungry and the weary. The word hospice comes from the Latin works “hospes” and “hospitium”, which translate as “host” and “hospitality,” respectively.

The first hospice is traced to the Irish Sisters of Charity who established St. Joseph’s Hospice in London in 1905. The modern day concept of hospice care as we know it today is defined in large by British physician, Dame Cicely Saunders who opened a facility in London in 1967 with the philosophy the emphasizing pain management control as opposed to curative care.

The momentum in the United States toward “end-of-life” care took hold in 1974 and in 1986 Congress passed legislation to include hospice care as a permanent Medicare benefit.

To find further information on hospice, assisted living and other senior-related care options visit:

Assisted living marketing services are provided by, a leading referral
system in the assisted living industry.  We provide the perfect match between seniors
searching for a facility and assisted living facilities nationwide and take the confusion and

hassle out of the search. For more information, call 1-800-768-8221.

About the Author:

Gloria Ha’o Schneider is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer who has written advertising / sales and product development copy for major gift industry companies, website content, greeting cards and merchandising copy, senior-related issues and has a passion for writing human-interest stories.

This entry was posted on 31/08/2010 at 11:49 am and is filed under Baby Boomer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

| Print