What hospice means
Shelter. Hospitality.
The word comes from Latin. In the Middle Ages hospices stood along the pilgrim routes, open to anyone who was tired, ill or dying.
Today
A worldwide movement for dying with dignity.
Today hospice stands for people who stand by the seriously ill, the dying and their families in the last phase of life. The hospice idea is rooted in Christian values and at the same time non-denominational and non-partisan.
In 1967 Cicely Saunders founded St Christopher’s Hospice in London, the first modern hospice. There the aim is no longer cure, but a life with dignity to the very end. Two things are needed for that.
- Loving care and comprehensive support for the dying and their families.
- Consistent relief of pain and other distressing symptoms.
“You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.”
