Impacts of a Hospice Visit/Interview - Essay Example

Hospice emphasizes palliative care rather than curative treatment. Hospice provides an emotional, positive and a sustainable comfort. Terminally ill normally are either abandoned or are lonely in their last phase of their life. Hospice affirms life and regards dying as a normal process. Hospice neither hastens nor postpones death. Hospice provides personalized services and a caring community so that patients and families can attain the necessary preparation for a death that is satisfactory to them.

Those involved in the process of dying have a variety of physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs. The nature of dying is so unique that the goal of the hospice team is to be sensitive and responsive to the special requirements of each individual and family. (Rossman, 1981) Hospice care is provided to patients who have a limited life expectancy. Although most hospice patients are cancer patients, hospices accept anyone regardless of age or type of illness. These patients have also made a decision to spend their last months at home or in a homelike setting.

(Rossman, 1981) Jade Goody, the British reality TV star and mother of two who was diagnosed with cervical cancer and who was given only weeks to live by the doctors has been moved to a hospice as she was suffering hallucinations that were on account of the cancer drugs. Jade Goody has been taken to St. Clare Hospice in South East England. Max Clifford, the publicist stated, “She went in there because last night after the district nurse had been in the afternoon to administer her drugs she was hallucinating very badly because of the medication”.

On entering a hospice I did not feel like I was entering a hospital- in fact a hospice felt like home. For me I believe that a healthier response to approaching death is that of a hospice. When I met Mrs. Reeds who is a hospice worker I was shocked beyond doubt for all the hard work all these hospice workers do they are so