Hospice and the Terminally Ill Geriatric Patient

Hospice has already become a well known alternative method of caring for the dying patient. This article addresses the concepts, goals, and philosophy of hospice care and provides a theoretical perspective regarding the roles of therapists within the hospice framework. Since many hospice patients are elderly, this article will focus on the geriatric terminally ill patient involved with hospice care. Nontraditional rehabilitative measures are addressed, as is the need for continuing education and research in hospice and therapy with the chronically/terminally ill.