What is a hospice?
Some people have a vision of hospices as quiet and gloomy places where the very ill go to spend their final days. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
In reality, hospices are full of life and compassion. They are places people can go to for specialist care and all kinds of support, and where families and friends are always welcome. And it’s not like being in a hospital.
Hospices are all about helping people to have a better quality of life, for as long as possible, after they've been diagnosed with a life-limiting or terminal illness.
Why do people go to a hospice?
When someone comes into the hospice for our support, we make sure they have the chance to enjoy a better quality of life, for as long as possible.
We look after the needs of family members and friends too, because if someone you care about has a terminal illness, it can make such a difference to have the right support for those difficult questions and concerns you might have.
It’s also a place where everyone – from the housekeeping staff and volunteers to the nurses and medical team – always has a lovely smile on their face.
Find out more about hospice care, who it's for and what it involves.
What are hospices like?
Hospices are designed to be pleasant places where people can spend quality time with their friends and families.
In our Newcastle hospice, we have lounges and play areas where people can spend time with their visitors. All our in-patient bedrooms have direct access into beautiful gardens.
We even have a special family suite, complete with a kitchen and living area, so families can be together with their loved ones with the comforts and privacy of a home.
And unlike in a hospital, relatives can visit at any time and stay overnight if they wish to.
Families and loved ones are welcome to visit at any time. Marie Curie hospices have facilities for families to stay overnight.
Who receives care in hospices?
Hospices offer specialist care and support for people living with any terminal illness – they aren’t just places for people with terminal cancer.
For example, around 20% of all patients we care for at the Newcastle hospice have other illnesses such as heart failure , motor neurone disease (MND) , respiratory disease or kidney failure .
Many people visit hospices to do day therapies, including exercise classes and physiotherapy.
People may be referred to a hospice at any point during their illness. So while some of them may come in for a few days or weeks towards the end of their lives, many others attend a hospice at much earlier stages of their illness as an outpatient.
These people will come to the hospice for help and support with their symptoms so they, and their family members, can manage at home.
All the staff at a hospice will be there to support the people being cared for, and their loved ones, to feel comfortable and cared for.
In Marie Curie hospices around 50% of patients will be discharged home. They're places that support people to live well for as long as possible.
How long do people stay?
In our Newcastle hospice, around half of the people who stay here are discharged after spending around a couple of weeks with us.
Many people go to a hospice just for the day for a range of outpatient and day services.
These might involve relieving someone’s symptoms, advising them on practical matters or looking after their emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Many hospices have beautiful gardens for people to enjoy. This is the garden at the Marie Curie Hospice, Hampstead.
Who looks after them?
People who work at a hospice include doctors who are specialists in palliative care, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, counsellors and chaplains.
In our hospice, all the meals we serve are freshly prepared by our chefs, who talk to each patient to find out what they’d like to eat on that day.
Unlike many hospitals, hospices are places where staff can spend quality time with the people they care for, getting to know them as people.
What if someone would prefer to die at home?
Hospices provide vital, person-centred care and support for families before and after their loved one has died. This will continue as long as hospices are supported by the NHS, and the generosity of the giving public.
When it comes to the very end of someone's life, we know that most people would choose to die at home surrounded by their loved ones, though that doesn't work for everyone. So future models of care will increasingly focus on making it possible for people to do this.
The number of people dying at home is increasing, as is the number in care homes. This is good news, but we know that the total number of people dying will increase significantly over the next decade.
Much needs to be done to ensure that this doesn’t mean many more people dying unnecessarily in overcrowded hospitals.
Read more
What is the hospice movement?
What’s it like to work in a hospice?
