Hospice vs. Palliative Care
The Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice. Both palliative care and hospice care provide comfort. But palliative care can begin at diagnosis, and at the same time as treatment. Hospice care begins after treatment of the disease is stopped and when it is clear that the person is not going to survive the illness.
Hospice Care
At its very core, Hospice is about respecting a person’s right of self determination. Every individual has a right to choose how they would like to spend the last chapter of their life.
The role of the Hospice provider is to help honor that choice by providing the requisite care to both the patient and the family, including:
- The right to have their specific needs considered on an individual basis.
- The right to maintain their dignity and sense of autonomy.
- The right to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
- The right to actively participate in decision making and care planning.
- The right to remain in the location of their own choosing.