How is hospice care different from euthanasia?

Hospice care is one approach to caring for someone with a terminal illness. Hospice care is usually begun after all treatment plans have been exhausted and death appears to be imminent. The focus of hospice care is no longer to treat an illness, or look for a cure, but to provide a quality of life and comfort during the final stages of illness. Hospice care may be provided in a medical facility or in your home, may involve pain management, and may be covered by public or private insurance plans. Many people who choose hospice care have opted to discontinue treatments and allow the disease to take its course - which is one form of euthanasia.

Hospice teams provide care for the patient throughout the final stages of disease. Hospice work also focuses on supporting the family of the patient. Treatment goals for the patient focus on the management of symptoms, such as pain, anxiety, shortness of breath etc. The medications doctors prescribe for hospice patients, which are given to the patients by nurses in facilities or to the patient directly if the patient is well enough to be home; these medications do not hasten death. The medications given do not cause death to occur quicker or sooner. This is often a misconception of what hospice does. Hospice focuses on keeping the patient as comfortable as possible by controlling or minimizing the negative effect of the patient's symptoms.