Vision

Hospice will be an integral part of our society, culture and belief systems.

Mission

To improve access to quality hospice care through public education, professional training, and advocacy on behalf of consumers.

What Is the American Hospice Foundation?

The American Hospice Foundation supports programs that serve the needs of terminally ill and grieving individuals of all ages. Our Foundation advances hospice concepts by:

• Training school professionals who work with grieving students.
• Educating employers and managers about the needs of grieving employees.
• Creating tools to help hospices reach out to their communities.
• Promoting improved hospice benefits in managed care organizations.
• Initiating research on consumer needs and preferences in end-of-life care.

By forging partnerships at local and national levels, we ensure that hospice care is available to many who might otherwise be underserved. Our current initiatives include:

• Training workshops and materials on grieving children for educators.
• Employer outreach campaign to aid bereaved employees and their co-workers.
• In-service programs for hospice and nursing home staff.
• Tools for decision-making at the end of life for caregivers of the terminally ill.

Contact information:
American Hospice Foundation
2120 L Street, NW Suite 200
Washington, DC 20037
Tel: 202-223-0204
Fax: 202-223-0208
E-mail: ahf@americanhospice.org
 

American Hospice Foundation Board and Staff

Board Members
Senior Staff

American Hospice Foundation Annual Report

2006 Annual Report
2005 Annual Report

What Is Hospice?

Hospice Philosophy
When a cure is no longer possible, hospice provides the best in medical, nursing, emotional, and spiritual care. At the center of the hospice philosophy is respect for the decisions of each patient and family member. Hospice is not about dying; hospice is living every moment fully.

Site of Hospice Care
Whenever possible, hospice care is offered at home. Hospice care can also be provided in inpatient hospice centers, and in special units in hospitals and nursing homes.

Hospice Team
Hospice care is provided by a coordinated team of professionals that includes a physician, nurse, home health aid, bereavement counselor, spiritual counselor, and social worker. A volunteer is available to help with errands, chores, or relief for the family. To help family members heal, hospice bereavement counselors are at their side for at least a year after the death.

Who Benefits from Hospice?

Dying people
Hospices serve adults and children in the last few months of life. Patients turn to hospice in the final stages of a wide variety of diseases such as cancer, AIDS, emphysema, and Alzheimer's disease.

Hospice patients reflect the diversity of their communities. That is why hospices strive to provide services that are culturally sensitive toward patients and their families.

In addition, those who cannot afford care are often served, regardless of their financial situation.

Grieving People
All hospices provide bereavement care to their patients' families and friends. Most hospices offer bereavement support to the wider community, to help those who are touched by prolonged illness, suicide, or violence.