Hospice
of Southern Illinois, The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
(NHPCO), and hospices across the United States are celebrating 40 years of hard
work to make hospice care a success in the United States! The word hospice is
derived from the word “hospitality,” which is a place of shelter for weary or
ill travelers on a long journey. The development of hospice care has been its
own journey, one that strong leadership, determination and volunteerism has
allowed end-of-life care to flourish.
Physician Dame Cicely Saunders began
her work with the terminally ill in 1948, and later established the first
modern hospice in London, St. Christopher’s Hospice. In 1963, she brought the
idea of hospice to the United States as a request from Florence Wald, the dean
of the Yale School of Nursing. Wald became inspired to travel and learn the
benefits of hospice care, eventually starting the first U.S program,
Connecticut Hospice, in Bradford in 1974. Her work began a revolution of
end-of-life care with facilities spreading throughout the United States.
After talking to two employees at
Hospice of Southern Illinois, they expressed, “Hospice
is important because it brings opportunities for closure for spiritual,
emotional, and
