A hospice program is a coordinated program of palliative and supportive services provided in both home and in-patient settings for persons in the last phases of incurable disease so that they may live as fully and as comfortably as possible. The program emphasizes the management of pain and other physical symptoms, the management of the psychosocial problems and the spiritual comfort of the patient and the patient's family or other primary care person. Services are provided by a medically-directed interdisciplinary team of health care providers and volunteers.
Bereavement care is available to the family following the death of the patient.
Hospice services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is important to recognize that hospice care generally requires the acknowledgment of the patient, the family and the physician that the illness is terminal, and a mutual agreement that aggressive treatment is terminated. In keeping with this commitment, VHA's National Health Care Plan includes an organized and coordinated program of hospice care at every medical center. While many aspects for hospice activities have been incorporated into our approach to the care of terminally ill patients in the past, a formally structured hospice program provides an opportunity to focus our efforts in providing compassionate care in a timely and coordinated manner. Hospice care optimizes the comfort and dignity of the patient through the effective management of pain and other physical symptoms.