And when the end came, both were prepared. It was quiet. During the past two decades, the use of hospice care by terminally ill patients and their families has increased greatly. Hospice care often allows dying patients to stay at home among family and friends. The medical care provided is not designed to prolong the patient's life, but rather to help the patient and his or her family cope with the inevitable death.
Care is delivered by a team of providers drawn from both the medical and lay community.
The hospice team usually includes physicians, nurses, social workers, grief counselors and church leaders. There's a certain fluidity of care. It's much better for the patients, much better for us to work as a team. It's not just the patient. For Patty Conlon, the care provided by Trinity Hospice of Greater Boston proved helpful in numerous ways.