Hospice care in the United States.

Hospice affirms the concept of palliative care as an intensive program that enhances comfort and promotes quality of life for individuals and their families. When cure is no longer possible, hospice recognizes that a peaceful and comfortable death is an essential goal of health care. Hospice believes that death is an integral part of the life cycle and that intensive palliative care focuses on pain relief, comfort, and enhanced quality of life for the terminally ill. Hospice also recognizes the potential for growth that exists within the dying experience for individuals and their families and seeks to protect and nurture this potential.