Definition

Although the English words hospital, hostel, hotel, and hospice have different meanings today, they all originate from the same root.
The word hospice comes from the Latin hospitium, meaning “a place for receiving guests.” Thus, within the word hospice lies the idea of welcoming and caring for others with sincerity and compassion.

At the VHS Gwangju Hospital, the Hospice Care Office is dedicated to helping those nearing the end of life live their remaining days with comfort and dignity, ensuring they can conclude their lives peacefully and meaningfully without losing their humanity.
To achieve this, the hospice team carefully assesses each patient’s physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs, developing and implementing individualized care plans that provide comprehensive and compassionate support.

Physician

Responsible for overseeing hospice care, the physician focuses on supportive and palliative approaches rather than curative treatment. They develop care plans, manage symptoms, assist other physicians involved in hospice care as the representative hospice physician, and provide education, guidance, and coordination for medical staff and hospice team members.

The physician should be a specialist in oncology, internal medicine, or family medicine, with experience or a strong interest in caring for terminally ill or end-of-life patients. They must also possess expertise in oncology and in the management of pain and symptoms associated with terminal illness.

Nurse

Responsible for providing nursing services based on assessments of the patient and family, including physical care, administration of medication for pain and symptom management, monitoring, and documentation.

Social Worker

The social worker seeks out all available resources to support terminally ill patients and their families, assisting particularly with financial, legal, and insurance-related issues. They also serve as a counselor, providing support for the social and psychological needs of patients and their families. They provide counseling to bereaved families, helping them cope with the grief and pain of loss following the patient’s death.

They should have experience as a counselor within a healthcare delivery system or community network. They must possess a solid understanding of the principles and practice of social work in healthcare, with particular emphasis on hospice care.

Volunteers

Volunteer participation in the hospice and palliative care program helps strengthen community involvement and improve the quality of services offered to patients and their families.

Volunteer activities include home visits for inpatients, offering prayers, engaging in conversation and active listening, providing physical care, assisting families, providing direct patient care, offering spiritual support, participating in funerals, and caring for bereaved families. Volunteers play an important role in supporting and helping patients and their families in many ways.