Handbook of Hospice Care

by Robert W. Buckingham, Robert W. Buckinham

As a recognized advocate of pain-relieving care and compassionate human concern for those who are reaching the end of life, Dr. Robert W. Buckingham offers this poignant, yet informative sourcebook on the basic components of hospice care.The Handbook of Hospice Care is a detailed look at the history of hospice, its philosophy of care, and the contemporary issues it faces. The role of each member of the hospice team is carefully explained in the hope that palliative care, based upon the needs and preferences of each patient and family, can be provided. Dr. Buckingham describes a cooperative and compassionate approach that brings meaning, dignity, and autonomy to the dying process."Historically, dying has been a coming-apart experience for most families, " Dr. Buckingham says. "Hospice care concentrates on making the process of dying a coming-together experience for patient and family. Hospice is not a place or an institution but a philosophy of care."

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Karen]

This book has a lot of great information, but is quite dated. I found it interesting as a history of Hospice care and it's a good resource if you are researching the beginning of Hospice. There is an interesting chapter about how hospice started and Dr. Buckingham shares incidentally his experiences getting Hospice care started in his community.

I gave it 3 stars because of the introduction and his list of 12 things he learned from caring for AIDS patients. That in itself made the book worth my time. After all, learning to live better before we face our own end of life experience is why we're here...right?!

HOWEVER, if you want a current review of Hospice care, there are probably other options out there.