Hospice Offers Comfort

Hospice care continues to grow in popularity as more doctors and members of the public are educated both about their choices and the realities of hospice care. Parade magazine reports:

In 2008, an estimated 1.45 million Americans were treated in 4850 hospice programs--up from only 25,000 patients in 1982, according to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), which estimates that nearly 40% of U.S. deaths in 2008 were in a hospice setting, usually at home. And as Baby Boomers age, "the demographics are going to explode," says Naomi Naierman, president and CEO of the American Hospice Foundation (AHF).

One reason for this massive growth is that in 1983 Congress made hospice care a Medicare benefit (83.2% of hospice patients were 65 or older in 2008, according to NHPCO data). Another is the gradual education of the public. "People still think hospice is a place," Naierman says. "But hospice is actually designed to care for patients at home, and that's where most people want to die."

The continued rise in numbers proves that many have found comfort in hospice care, and we hope they will continue to climb as more seek the invaluable service known as hospice.