Upper Galilee Hospice - In the northern panhandle of Galilee, Israel, there is the Nancy Caroline Hospice of the Upper Galilee, which was founded in 1994 as a nonprofit organization to treat terminal cancer patients from the comfort of their own homes.
Here are some questions that people have regarding hospices.
• Are hospices affiliated with specific religious organization?
Hospices are not affiliated with any religion although some religions and churches have started specific hospices. These are sometimes connected to their hospitals. Even though they might be started by a specific religion, these hospices serve a wide community and do not require that their patients adhere to any specific belief.
• Does a hospice provide help for a family after a patient dies?
Hospices do provide continuing contact and support for the family and friends when they lose a loved one. Usually, hospices remain in contact for at least one year following the death. Many hospices also sponsor bereavement support groups for people in the community who experienced the death of someone that they cared about.
• What is palliative care?
The NHPCO's Standards of Practice for Hospice Programs lists palliative care as treatment that enhances the comfort of a patient and improves the quality of that individual's life during its last phases. There is no specific therapy that is excluded from consideration. There must be agreement between the patient, physician or physicians, primary caregiver, and the hospice team for the expected outcome of relief from the distressing symptoms, the easing of pain, and the enhancing of the quality of life. The decision to use active palliative care is more based on an ability to meet goals than affect the disease itself. The patient's needs are always being assessed and all treatments are explored and evaluated based on the specific patient. All choices regarding care are up to the patient and are to be followed.
A description of a hospice is a place that honors dying - not death by dying. It is a place where people that are dying go to rest, be cared for, and be honored. It is a place where it is possible to find peace and to prepare for whatever could be coming. It is a community of friend and family, ancestors and descendants, and community of nature and spirit for those that are dying. It is a place for those who are dying to leave their gifts for others, such as stories or memories, and a place to gain perspective.
It is a place to give and receive forgiveness, a place for peace and letting go. It is a place of comfort.