Changing the way we die : compassionate end-of-life care and the hospice movement
(Unknown)

Reprint of: Street Berkeley, California : Viva Editions, 2013.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 353-389) and index.

There's a quiet revolution happening in the way we die. More than 1.5 million Americans a year die in hospice care -- nearly 44 percent of all deaths -- and a vast industry has sprung up to meet the growing demand. Once viewed as a New Age indulgence, hospice is now a $14 billion business and one of the most successful segments in health care. Journalists Fran Smith and Sheila Himmel take a broad, penetrating look at the hospice landscape, through stories of real patients, families, and doctors, as well as the corporate giants that increasingly own the market.