Mas Masumoto (left) and Shizuko Sugimoto in 2013. Mas Masumoto hide caption
hospice hospice
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hospice
Prisoner and patient Alton Batiste, 72, in Angola's nursing unit in 2017. The prison had to change some of its rules when it introduced hospice, allowing inmates to touch each other, for instance. Annie Flanagan/Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption
Terminally ill hospice resident Evelyn Breuning, 91, right, sits with music therapist Jen Dunlap in her bed in August 2009 in Lakewood, Colo. The nonprofit hospice, the second oldest in the United States, accepts the terminally ill regardless of their ability to pay, although most residents are covered by Medicare. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption
Hospice provides vital end-of-life support and palliative care to terminally ill patients. But it's costing Medicare billions. A new approach would eliminate waste in the program. Westend61/Getty Images hide caption
Tony Johnson sits on his bed with his dog, Dash, in the one-room home he shares with his wife, Karen Johnson, in a care facility in Burlington, Wash. on April 13, 2022. Johnson was one of the first people to get COVID-19 in Washington state in April of 2020. His left leg had to be amputated due to lack of wound care after he developed blood clots in his feet while on a ventilator. Lynn Johnson for NPR hide caption
André Lee, administrator and co-founder of Heart and Soul Hospice, stands with Keisha Mason, director of nursing, in front of their office building last week in Nashville, Tenn. Erica Calhoun for NPR hide caption
Black-owned hospice seeks to bring greater ease in dying to Black families
Patients Want To Die At Home, But Home Hospice Care Can Be Tough On Families
Dr. BJ Miller's new project, the Center for Dying and Living, is a website designed for people to share their stories related to living with illness, disability or loss, or their stories of caring for someone with those conditions. Simon & Schuster hide caption
After A Freak Accident, A Doctor Finds Insight Into 'Living Life And Facing Death'
From 2012 through 2016, federal health inspectors cited 87% of U.S. hospices for deficiencies. And 20% had lapses serious enough to endanger patients, according to two new reports from the HHS Inspector General's Office. sturti/Getty Images hide caption
HHS Inspector General Finds Serious Flaws In 20% Of U.S. Hospice Programs
A moment from Embodied Labs' virtual reality video of Clay Crowder, a fictional 66-year-old man with incurable lung cancer. In this scene, Clay's family gathers around his bed, reassuring him that it's OK to let go of life. Embodied Labs hide caption
Good hospice care at the end of life can be a godsend to patients and their families, all agree, whether the care comes at home, or at an inpatient facility like this AIDS hospice. Still, oversight of the industry is important, federal investigators say. Bromberger Hoover Photography/Getty Images hide caption
HHS Inspector General's Report Finds Flaws And Fraud In U.S. Hospice Care
Earl Borges, now 70, conducted river patrols in the Navy during the Vietnam War. These days, he says, symptoms from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ALS can intensify the anxiety he experiences as a result of PTSD. Courtesy of Shirley Borges hide caption
Reverberations Of War Complicate Vietnam Veterans' End-Of-Life Care
Helping her father die at home "was the most meaningful experience in my nursing career," said Rose Crumb. She went on to found Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County in Port Angeles, Wash. Dan DeLong for Kaiser Health News hide caption
A recent study shows a link between high discharge rates for live patients and hospice profit margins. Gary Waters/Getty Images/Ikon Images hide caption
Nearly 1 In 5 Hospice Patients Discharged While Still Alive
People with chronic illnesses were only slightly more likely than healthy individuals to put their wishes down on paper in a living will. Jodi Jacobson/Getty Images hide caption
The Rev. Noel Hickie was working as a hospital chaplain when he met Marcia Hilton, a bereavement counselor at a hospital in Eugene, Ore. For 25 years they often worked together on hospice teams. Courtesy of StoryCorps hide caption
For Decades These Caregivers Helped Patients, Families Through Illness And Death
As baby boomers age, more older Americans are visiting the emergency room, which can be an overcrowded, disorienting and even traumatic place. Heidi de Marco/Kaiser Health News hide caption
At Gerald Chinchar's home in San Diego, Calif., Nurse Sheri Juan (right) checks his arm for edema that might be a sign that his congestive heart failure is getting worse. Heidi de Marco/Kaiser Health News hide caption
For Some, Pre-Hospice Care Can Be A Good Alternative To Hospitals
"It's easier to sort of face the hard things in your life when you're not alone," says hospice chaplain Kerry Egan. "That's a big part of what a chaplain does, is she stays with you." Ann Summa/Getty Images hide caption
Hospice Chaplain Reflects On Life, Death And The 'Strength Of The Human Soul'
Debbie Ziegler holds a photo of her late daughter, Brittany Maynard, while speaking to the media in September after the passage of California's End Of Life Option Act. Maynard was an advocate for the law. Carl Costas/AP hide caption
Christy O'Donnell, who has advanced lung cancer, is one of several California patients suing for the right to get a doctor's help with prescription medicine to end their own lives if and when they feel that's necessary. YouTube hide caption
Nora Zamichow says if she and her husband, Mark Saylor, had known how doctors die, they might have made different treatment decisions for him toward the end of his life. Maya Sugarman/KPCC hide caption