hospice
n. a place or a form of care for terminally ill individuals, often those with life expectancies of about half a year as determined by medical personnel. Instead of curing disease and prolonging life, the emphases of the hospice concept are patient comfort, psychological well-being, and pain management (see palliative care). The approach is interdisciplinary, with care provided by medical, psychological, spiritual, volunteer, and family caregivers, either in special facilities or in the patient’s home. See also terminal care. [pioneered by British nurse, social worker, and physician Cicely Saunders (1918–2005)]