“Ending This Stage of Life”

Religion in Daily Life By the Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min. Rector, All Saints’ Church 9601 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114 (215) 637-5225 Written 16 September 2000

On the first Tuesday of each month, I conduct a Memorial Service at the Fox Chase Cancer Center. The Palliative Care Department of the Center sponsors this religious service. It is part of the hospice program there. Recently, Bill Moyers presented a four-part series titled On Our Own Terms. In part, it dealt with the hospice movement. Research has shown that 80 percent of Americans wish to die at home. However, less than 25 percent actually do. A major reason is a lack of information about hospice care.

Historically, a hospice has been a place for the shelter of travelers. The hospice of Great Saint Bernard is in the Swiss Alps. It is famous for its giant dogs and their rescue of persons lost in the mountains. People founded many medical hospices in England and in this country about a century ago. These hospices cared for people dying of cancer and tuberculosis. These dying persons were like travelers who were nearing the end of this stage of life’s journey. For example, a dying patient said to Cicely Saunders, “I am a traveler on the journey from one life to the next, and I need a place where I can be welcomed and looked after and cared for and be myself on that journey.”

The modern hospice movement developed from the work of these early hospices. In the 1950s and 1960s, researchers learned about the suffering of dying patients. These persons needed special accommodations, skilled home care, and concern for their families. In 1967, Cicely Saunders established St. Christopher’s Hospice in London, England. This Hospice sparked the present worldwide hospice movement.

A hospice is a special way of caring for people with terminal illnesses. The hospice also cares for their families. The family takes part in decisions and helps the loved one. The hospice also helps the dying person to make decisions about the remainder of his life. Many persons make up the hospice team. There are physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, clergy, social workers, pharmacists, volunteers and others on the team. They may function in the patient’s home, at an inpatient facility, or in a combination of the two places. The hospice provides pain control. It helps patients to live as fully as they can. It helps family and friends to provide care in the familiar surroundings of the patient’s home. It deals with the hurt felt by the family and provides relief for them. It provides counseling and supports those who grieve. If you’d like information about local hospices, write to me at All Saints’ Church, 9601 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19114.