In 1974, the Connecticut Hospice Institute was founded in Connecticut, launching the first hospice program in the nation. Hospice organizations now provide end-of-life palliative care for patients with irreversible illnesses around the nation. Hospice care draws from many disciplines to care for patients, including therapy and counseling. While all hospice patient counseling is intended to help patients and families transition from life to death, hospice professionals employ a variety of techniques to achieve that goal.
Grief Counseling
As a hospice patient nears the end of life, grief is a major concern for all involved. The patient is grieving the loss of life, the patient's family is grieving the loss of a loved one and caregivers grieve from watching someone's life come to a close. While grief is a necessary part of healing from the loss of a loved one, it is a complicated emotion and patients and the people who care about them may need some expert guidance to work through strong emotions.
Grief counseling in hospice is usually provided by professional counselors or trained volunteers. The counseling can take place on an individual basis, family counseling or support groups. The counselors are trained to provide support, offer advice and, most of all, listen to the concerns of those who are grieving over the approaching loss of life. Grief counseling is one of the major elements of hospice care because hospice tends to focus on overall comfort instead of focusing only on physical care.
Spiritual Care
In close relationship with grief counseling is spiritual and religious care for hospice patients and their families. Spiritual care may or may not incorporate religious beliefs, but always focuses on the universal need for love, hope and dignity. Spiritual care for hospice patients can be provided by members of the clergy, trained volunteers or trained hospice employees, depending on the needs and desires of the patient and her loved ones. The care may incorporate specific religions and beliefs about God and the afterlife. The function of the spiritual caregiver is to help a patient understand feelings about about giving up hope of an extended life, along with helping her affirm what she believes awaits after death.
Legal Planning
Legal planning can be a major source of frustration for anyone approaching the end of life. Advance directives and estate planning are complicated issues that need to be settled to help make a peaceful transition from life to death. Most hospice organizations provide guidance and advice on plan for the legal details of death. All patients are entitled to complete information about their options in healthcare and make decisions about their own treatment. Advance directives are legal documents that allow people to convey their healthcare preferences while they are still physically and mentally able to do so. Hospice organizations can help patients through that process in a timely manner. Hospice organizations can also help coordinate estate planning for patients while they are still able to make decisions for themselves.
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