Hospice Care

In response to changing environmental and social circumstances surrounding death, the hospice has emerged as an important component to health care. In turn, the demand for adequately trained personnel has grown. Hospice Care explains the history and nature of hospice care and serves as an introduction to the skills and knowledge necessary for practitioners, counselors, and volunteers in this increasingly important field of health care. This informative volume emphasizes the non-medical role of the hospice which seeks to enable patients to live the final period of their lives with as much dignity and as little pain and suffering as possible. From organizational and policy issues to working with patients and their families, grief, and bereavement, Hospice Care describes the tasks and knowledge practitioners need to adequately serve, assess a patient's needs, develop treatment plans, and evaluate progress. This volume also includes model fieldwork assignments. Stressing the importance of spiritual contact among family, friends, and practitioners, Hospice Care is an invaluable resource for health professionals and practitioners, geriatricians, volunteers, and students of psychology, social work, sociology, and nursing. "The authors present detailed information that is useful in understanding how hospices operate. . . . Hayslip and Leon's book will be helpful as an introductory guide in understanding the philosophy of the hospice movement as well as the nuts-and-bolts of patient care in the hospice setting."Hayslip, Bert is the author of 'Hospice Care' with ISBN 9780803929142 and ISBN 0803929145.