CARE OF THE DYING GERIATRIC-PATIENT

As the United State's population continues to age, there will be an in creasing need to provide optimal care for terminally ill elderly patie nts. Physicians have a responsibility to provide care for elderly pati ents who are dying or in the end stages of an incurable illness. Hospi ce care has grown from an alternative health care-movement to an accep ted part of American medical care, and can be an ideal method of manag ing the terminally ill elderly patient. Hospice care incorporates the concept of palliative care and is designed to support the physical, ps ychosocial, and spiritual needs of patients at the end of life. The ne ed for hospice care, its development, philosophies, and general princi ples are presented in this article.