Hospice Care: Relieving the Death Process

By: Noah Goodman, Human Development ‘27

The ending of life need not stipulate an end to proper living. The miracle of hospice care manifests this objective into reality, providing essential services to terminally ill patients. Such programs have been found to not only increase life expectancy [1], but also offer valuable socioemotional [2] and spiritual [3] support to patients and families in need. Considering the efficacy of these programs, federal funding of hospice care should be increased significantly so that facilities and programs can grow to meet the needs of terminally ill patients throughout the country. 

As noted, a vital function of hospice care programs is their success in increasing the life expectancy of patients. Research has shown that symptom monitoring, management, and treatment systems set up by hospice care facilities substantially mitigate the effects of harmful diseases [4]. In addition, palliative care has been found to alleviate symptoms associated with heart disease and subsequent heart failure [5]. Through such mechanisms, hospice care consistently increases the quality and duration of patients’ lives by caring for and reducing the effects of disease-related symptoms. 

Beyond physical assistance and therapy, hospice care offers important socioemotional support to patients and families. Research indicates that hospice care is effective in providing direct psycho-sociospiritual support to patients [6]. In addition, hospice care services have been shown to be extremely effective in helping patient families adjust to new roles and personal responsibilities during the treatment and following the death of a family member [7]. In this sense, hospice care programs provide both patients and families with comprehensive guidance and reassurance while coping with sickness and impending losses. 

Furthermore, hospice care ensures that patients and their families receive spiritual support as they endure these distressing circumstances. Research reviews have shown that spirituality practices are often employed in hospice care [8], and that such programs aid in relieving grief symptoms while also helping patients reach a state of acceptance prior to death [9]. Moreover, studies have concluded that hospice care has increased the spiritual focus of the healthcare process compared to traditional medical care [10]. Therefore, the spiritual benefits provided by hospice care exceed those of other programs. 

Nevertheless, despite the clear benefits of hospice programming, a workforce and funding shortage remains prevalent [11]. Even more concerning, over 80% of hospice programming is not reimbursed by insurers, forcing hospice organizations to use internal funds to cover patient expenses [12]. Additionally, recent research has brought to light a growing demand for hospice services in response to a growing population of terminally ill, elderly individuals [13]. Therefore, it is imperative that funding for hospice programs be increased considerably to allow for adequate programming and staffing. If further funding is not provided in a timely manner, hospices throughout the country are at risk of closing, leaving patients and families isolated while facing a situation that puts them in dire need of support. 

Overall, hospice care and programming provides patients with vitally important services, ranging from granting spiritual and socioemotional support to extending life expectancy. However, current hospice program funding is not adequate to meet the needs of the growing elderly population, putting many at risk of destaffing or closing down. Therefore, funding for hospice programming must be increased in a sufficient and timely manner. 

References 

1. Eichelberger, T., & Shadiack, A. (2018). FPIN's Help Desk Answers: Life Expectancy with Hospice Care. American Family Physician, 97(5) 

2. Silver, S. (1981). Evaluation of a hospice program: Evaluation & the Health Professions, 4(3), 306–315. 

3. Belcher, A., & Griffiths, M. (2005). The Spiritual Care Perspectives and practices of Hospice Nurses. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 7(5). 

4. Finestone, A., & Inderwies, G. (2008). Death and dying in the US: The barriers to the benefits of palliative and Hospice Care. Clinical Interventions in Aging, Volume 3, 595–599. 

5. LeMond, L., & Allen, L. A. (2011). Palliative care and hospice in Advanced Heart Failure. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 54(2), 168–178. 

6. Wan, A., Lung, E., Ankita, A., Li, Z., Barrie, C., Baxter, S., Benedet, L., Mirhosseini, M. (Noush), Mirza, R. M., Thorpe, K., Vadeboncoeur, C., & Klinger, C. A. (2022). Support for informal caregivers in Canada: A scoping review from a hospice and  palliative/end-of-life care lens. Journal of Palliative Care, 37(3), 410–418. 

7. Levy, J. A. (1988). A life course perspective on hospice and the family. Marriage & Family Review, 11(3–4), 39–64. 

8. Bollwinkel, E. M. (1994). Role of spirituality in hospice care. Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, 23(2), 261-263.

9. Zimmermann, C. (2012). Acceptance of dying: A discourse analysis of palliative care literature. Social Science & Medicine, 75(1), 217–224. 

10. Ley, D. C., & Corless, I. B. (1988). Spirituality and hospice care. Death studies, 12(2), 101-110.

11. Lupu, D., & Force, P. M. W. T. (2010). Estimate of current hospice and palliative medicine physician workforce shortage. Journal of pain and symptom management, 40(6), 899-911.

12. Boucher, N. A., Kuchibhatla, M., & Johnson, K. S. (2017). Meeting basic needs: Social supports and services provided by hospice. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 20(6), 642-646.

13. Lupu, D., Quigley, L., Mehfoud, N., & Salsberg, E. S. (2018). The growing demand for hospice and palliative medicine physicians: will the supply keep up?. Journal of pain and symptom management, 55(4), 1216-1223.