Hospice-Dying with Didnity

Hospice is a medical specialty, which focuses on relief of pain, symptoms and stess of dying, or a life threating illness. It also maintains the qualty of life to the end. It deals with the emotional, social and spiritual impact of dying on the patient, family and their friends. Too my of our elders and terminally ill are dying horrible deaths.They go into nursing homes to die, family and friends stop visiting and the quality of life drops below than if they lived on the streets. This is where hospice does it's best work.Some veiw hospice as nothing more than assisted suicide.The Catholic tradition believes it's morally incompatible with the vision of a good death. That is, dying is not to be thought of as a uselees experience, but the last 4 most important things to do before you die. Which are, 1.saying i love you 2.saying thankyou 3.giving or asking for forgiveness,4. the most important one saying goodbye.This is what hospice is about. I am strongly against any form of suicide, for any reason and what hospice does for some many is not that.