What is Hospice/Palliative Care

The word ‘Hospice’ is derived from the Latin word hospes, which means ‘to host a guest or stranger’. Hospice refers to a medical centre or hospital which provides the Hospice or Palliative care. It can be a specialized Hospice centre or a division of a hospital. In this document, I will refer to them as a Hospice. Hospice and Palliative care are generally used interchangeably though they refer to different concepts. Hospice care refers to the treatment and care provided to achieve relief of pain and other symptoms of terminally ill patients and to offer patients and their families the best possible quality of life. Palliative care differs from Hospice care in only one aspect. It does not only cater to patients who are terminally ill. The core focus of these units is Care rather than Cure and the treatment here involves treatment not only at the hospital but also at home (called Home Care). In addition to that, diversionary therapy is also used as an aid.
Palliative Care
• Focus is on pain and symptom management
• Patient does not have to be terminal
• May still be seeking aggressive treatment
Hospice Care
• Focus is on pain and symptoms management
• Patient has a terminal diagnosis with life expectancy of less than six months
• Not seeking curative treatment