Care of the dying geriatric patient.

As the United State's population continues to age, there will be an increasing need to provide optimal care for terminally ill elderly patients. Physicians have a responsibility to provide care for elderly patients who are dying or in the end stages of an incurable illness. Hospice care has grown from an alternative health care movement to an accepted part of American medical care, and can be an ideal method of managing the terminally ill elderly patient. Hospice care incorporates the concept of palliative care and is designed to support the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of patients at the end of life. The need for hospice care, its development, philosophies, and general principles are presented in this article.