The hospice concept of health care attempts to make a patient's remaining life as comfortable and meaningful as possible. It is a special kind of healthcare that focuses on keeping the patient comfortable once the patient and physician have decided that the underlying disease can no longer be treated or cured.

Hospice is not a particular place or a person, but a philosophy of care provided by a team of professionals and lay people dedicated to relieving suffering and providing physical, emotional, spiritual support. Hospice care addresses the physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of each patient, family members and care givers so that patients can make the most of their day. Hospice Care neither hastens nor postpones death and is focused on the belief that quality of life is as important as length of life. Hospice focuses on caring, not curing and, in most cases; care is provided in the patient's home.