Care for a patient in the terminal stages of her illness; care for a dying patient.
Care for a person with a limited time left to live. In terminal care, the emphasis shifts from finding a cure to maximizing the quality of the person’s remaining life. Medical treatment consists primarily of relieving symptoms and pain. Terminal care may take place at home, in the hospital, or at a hospice facility. Hospices are an increasingly popular option, as they offer a supportive, homelike environment as an alternative to spending the last weeks or months of life in a hospital. Hospice services may be provided in a hospice facility or in the person’s home. In these facilities, in addition to medical care, there is access to emotional, social, and spiritual support. Grief counseling is usually provided for the family.