The growth of hospice in the U.S. is due in large part to policies that were advocated for during the time of the Carter administration.
It was late February when The Carter Center announced in a statement that former President Jimmy Carter had “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention.”
Carter’s choice to use hospice, an expert says, is likely “intentional” — and reflects the former president’s close personal ties to the benefit that made it possible.
The goal of hospice is to ease the suffering of those in their final stage of life — both physically, through the administering of medications, but also mentally and spiritually. Hospice programs also cater to loved ones with things like grief counseling and training.