Sheila Himmel

I was somewhat familiar with hospice .. but I learned quite a lot of new information. My mother died this past year after 9 years of alzheimer's. My sister, one friend and I cared for her. Toward the end some friends asked us when we were calling hospice.. I wasn't sure when we were 'suppose' to call them. We had not taken her to a dr in over 2 years, no need, no pain , no issues to talk to a dr about.. She just gradually got weaker and died in her own bed after not eating/drinking about 8 show more days before. I feel we (and she)were ready for her death and not sure if anything would have been different with hospice. I do understand many deaths are so different than hers and I can completely understand the benefits of hospice . This book was very informative. Well written. show less

I've heard of hospice care for a good many years now, but was never sure exactly what it meant. As someone nearing retirement myself, and with several aging family members, I was very glad to read this book and learn more, for my own sake and for theirs.

The book contains a solid history of hospice care, as well as information about what it generally does and does not do, and various accounts of people who it has helped. I think the things that struck me the most is that it tr5ies to include show more the entire family in the process, not just the "patient", AND that most hospices advocate strongly for palliative care; they are not concerned that someone with only weeks to live might get hooked on opiates and so would rather let them suffer. I know that would be a relief to me if I had a painful and fatal disease!

A small quibble: the structure of the book could have been more cohesively organized. In some chapters it veers from modern practice to history, to case study... and then veers around again. I found that awkward to read.

Still- it's a very valuable book that gives a clear look at the current and historical hospice movement, and what it means to individual people and families.

Note that I got an ARC of this book from VIVA Productions. show less

The authors introduce us to the growing hospice movement by stating that "Hospice is not a place but a philosophy about living, dying, and dignity, and a set of practices to ease suffering." They also state that "Hospice is the most successful segment of the health care system, in family satisfaction and cost effectiveness, yet it is widely feared and misunderstood." They have divided their book into four main sections. The first part introduces us to the concept of hospice and why it often show more makes sense as a choice for the terminally ill, how it began with stiff opposition from the standard medical community, and how it offers hope to those who can no longer be cured, but who want to continue living as well as possible and to die with dignity and with positive support for their own wishes as to how to manage their final days.

The second and third parts introduce us to the patients who have benefited from their stay in hospice care and to the surviving families who have benefited by the continued involvement from hospice in helping them handle their grief.

Finally, the last part deals with the new directions happening in the hospice movement where not for profit groups often have been taken over by for profit corporations where the standard of care is sometimes subsumed by the need to cut costs for the "bottom line" and thus make more money for their shareholders.

The authors for the most part gave a balanced view of the hospice movement emphasizing its strengths, and noting its detractors, and were not afraid to mention times when the movement failed its patients. The patients' and families' stories gave the most convincing reasons to consider hospice while the history of the takeover by large corporations could have been shortened and in some ways made one doubt the ability of hospice in the future to carry out its stated goals of compassionate and complete care for the dying at the end of life show less

This slim volume written by two journalists explores the recent history and current practices of the hospice movement in America: non-profit and (more recently) for-profit organizations that assist individuals and their families experience holistic end-of-life palliative care. As an historian, I longed for deeper analysis of hospice's emergence in the mid-twentieth century, but overall this is a quick read that offers much food for thought and pointers for further research and contemplation.