After receiving a diagnosis for limited life expectancy, patients make an important choice between hospice care and aggressive medical treatment, which have very different goals and methods.
Medical treatment regards death as a "failure", and it focuses on the physical illness rather than the patient's emotional and spiritual needs. It often requires intensive care in a clinical setting that diminishes the patient's quality of life. Alliance Hospice, on the other hand, regards death as a natural phenomenon, and it focuses on enriching the quality of life in the remaining days.
Alliance Hospice care neither prolongs life nor hastens death, but relieves pain and physical discomfort so that the patient can better fulfill their emotional and spiritual wishes. Over 96% of the time, hospice care takes place in the home. Beyond the patient, Alliance Hospice cares for the circle of family and friends to help them support the patient's wishes and adjust to their own grief and loss. Alliance Hospice bereavement care continues for over one year after the death.