A comprehensive community-based model for hospice care.

This study discusses the unique characteristics of a comprehensive community-based model for hospice care. The data demonstrate that community-based hospice programs serve a population composed primarily of Medicare patients 75 years and older. It also addresses the primary clinical diagnoses for hospice patients, which include lung cancer, cognitive disability, cerebrovascular disease, congestive heart failure, chronic airway obstruction, colon cancer, renal failure, and prostate cancer. Finally, the study found that the primary caregiver for community-based hospice patients is the spouse, followed by other family members.