Hospice Helping Hands
Harvard Cancer Society
About Us
What is hospice care?
Hospice care is a type of medical and social care that focuses on attending to the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of patients who are terminally ill and expected to pass away in 6 months. Hospice care also involves assisting patients' families by supporting them emotionally and spiritually. Hospice care is an essential and powerful tool for not only helping patients to peacefully make the final step in their journey of life, but also helping their families find peace and healing.
What is Harvard College Hospice Helping Hands?
Harvard College Hospice Helping Hands is a student organization run through the Harvard Cancer Society that aims to provide aid for hospice patients and their families. As hospice volunteers, our members aim to build meaningful connections with patients by loving and supporting them to the best of our abilities. We focus on improving the quality of their lives by attending to their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Hospice volunteers are an integral part of hospice teams that aim to provide the best quality end-of-life care as possible for patients. We currently work with VNA Hospice and Palliative Care, and visit patients at the Elizabeth Evarts de Rham Hospice Home.
Why is hospice care so important?
Hospice care has been shown to dramatically improve the quality of life of patients who are passing away. A study done at the Harvard Medical School shows that families say hospice is better than a hospital for dying cancer patients. In addition, relatives of cancer patients report better end-of-life experiences more often when their loved one received hospice care than those who did not receive hospice care or passed away in a hospital. According to lead researcher of the study, Dr. Alexi Wright, "efforts to increase earlier hospice enrollment and avoid ICU admissions and hospital deaths are important areas to focus on to improve the quality of end-of-life care."