hospice

noun

1. (countable, dated)A lodging for pilgrims or the destitute, normally provided by a monastic order.

   “At the west end of the street is the ruined 13th-century hospice, known locally as Pilgrims' Rest. It was built by Bishop Beck for the use of travellers, and was used as place of rest by pilgrims on their way from Bardsey Island to St David's Cathedral.”

2. (uncountable)The provision of palliative care for terminally ill patients, either at a specialized facility or at a residence, and support for the family, typically refraining from taking extraordinary measures to prolong life.

   “The modern concept of hospice and palliative nursing has its roots in the hospice movement. Introduced to the United States in the early 1960s, hospice has grown from one organization in 1971 to more than 3500 organizations in 2001.”

   “Thus, the introduction of hospice services marked a new beginning, not only for the care of the dying, but also for the practice of medicine as a whole.”

   “With the emergence of the modern hospice movement and its institutionalization in the 1970s, however, the religious dimension of hospice moved considerably away from its Christian roots. While it is widely agreed that hospice ought to be concerned with the spiritual needs of the dying, how to do this in a pluralistic society is far from clear.”

   “Former President Jimmy Carter, who at 98 is the longest living president in American history, has decided to forgo further medical treatment and will enter hospice care at his home in Georgia, the Carter Center announced on Saturday.”

3. (countable)A specialized facility or organization offering palliative care for the terminally ill.

   “Medicare reimbursement of hospice care is likely to be affected by the apparent reluctance of hospices to participate in the Medicare program.”

   “A small number of hospices were opened in the US in the 1890s, but these institutions differed from the hospices that came into being in the second part of the twentieth century in the following ways.”

   “St Joseph's Hospice Association in Liverpool supports hospices in Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador and Peru, as well as having links with hospices in India, Pakistan and Mexico that bear the same name.”