hospice

Everyday

1. A hospice is a special home or hospital where people who are very ill and are not expected to get better are cared for kindly and kept comfortable until they die. tree →
2. Hospice care can also be given at home by hospice nurses. tree →
3. (history) A hospice was once a house where travellers or pilgrims could rest, often run by monks. tree →

In the lessons

In family life a grandparent may move to a hospice near the end of life; staff focus on comfort, pain relief and family time, not on cure. Children's hospices care for very ill children and their families, with play rooms and gardens. Schools often raise money for local hospices. Phrases: hospice care, a children's hospice, hospice nurse, in a hospice.

Examples

• Grandma spent her last weeks in a peaceful hospice. tree →
• The hospice nurses were so kind to our family. tree →
• Our school ran a sponsored walk for the children's hospice. tree →
• The hospice has a garden where families can sit. tree →
• Hospice care helps people feel comfortable, not alone. tree →
• Long ago, monks ran a hospice for travellers in the mountains. tree →

Note

Countable. Say "HOS-pis". Related: hospital, hospitality (all from Latin for "guest"). A hospice is not a place of failure: its aim is comfort and dignity. Euphemisms like "passed away peacefully at the hospice" are common in death notices.