Why Hospice?

My aunt is in hospice care, but she is still living at home with her sister, who works a full-time job. My aunt is alone most of the day, but she has a nurse come by each week to evaluate her decline, or should I say, progress? She has terminal lung cancer and was given six to eight months to live six months ago, but she is in much the same condition now as she was six months ago when she received that diagnosis. That just goes to show that there is no way to predict the exact amount of time it will take an individual to reach their point of death and make the transition.

Hospice care is not about fighting death or prolonging life with drugs, surgical procedures or technology. It's about making the patient as peaceful and comfortable as possible emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically while preparing for transition. Hospice care supports the whole person—body, soul and spirit—and educates the family and loved ones about the process of illness and the final stages of death. There is a difference between cure and healing. Cure means that the disease no longer exists. Healing, however, can mean a healing of relationships, or self-worth issues. Hospice is not a place to find a cure, but there are many opportunities there to find healing, peace of mind, and enhanced self-esteem amidst isolation, loneliness, and other issues. Hospice gives the patient a chance to talk about the things that have been on their minds. Some people on their death bed discover that they did indeed have a meaningful life and a definite purpose for living.
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For more information, you might enjoy reading the complete book More Than Meets the Eye True Stories about Death, Dying, and Afterlife available on Amazon.com.