These patients can be moved home when they are stable. For some families it works very well. Not all hospice programs have exactly the same services. Hospice administrators say families should shop around for the best menu of benefits. For example, Rainbow Hospice in Park Ridge has a bereavement center to help families deal with the loss of a loved one.
Groups meet there regularly to work through their grief.
Music therapy is used at Hospice of Integrated Health Services. Music helps patients manage pain and also helps confused patients recover their memories, Ross said. While most hospice patients receive services at home or in a nursing home, more in-patient hospice units are being established. In 1995, there were 88 hospice facilities nationwide. In 1998, there were 240, according to the National Hospice Organization .