A hospice gives patients with terminal illnesses the chance to spend their last days in as much psychological comfort as possible and die with dignity. At a hospice, patients can make decisions about their own pain relief. They are allowed to keep possessions nearby and have visitors at any time. When the time comes, they may choose to pass away at home.
Some hospices offer teams of therapists to provide bereavement counseling for family members.
So far, the only hospices in the former Soviet Union are those that were established in Leningrad and Moscow, just before the USSR collapsed. Today, there is an extreme need for hospices in Azerbaijan. Due to the difficult economic situation, public medicine has been put on a self-supporting basis. Patients with terminal illnesses have to rely on relatives, which puts an enormous burden both financially and psychologically on family members. With support from Pennzoil Caspian Corporation, a subsidiary of Devon Energy Corporation, plans for Azerbaijan's first hospice are finally underway.