Death with dignity: 50th anniversary of America’s first hospice

Death with dignity: 50th anniversary of America’s first hospice
Yankee Institute; by Andrew Fowler; 6/7/24 
... In the late 19th century, terminally ill patients faced undignified treatment or were even “refused admission to the hospital entirely” due to “availability of space and resources” or race and socio-economic class, according to Doctors, Death, and Denial: The Origins of Hospice Care in 20th Century America by Sarah E. Pajka. ... All of this shaped the outlook of Florence Wald — a former dean of the Yale University School of Nursing, and a Branford native. Growing up in the early 20th century, she recognized the flaws and inhumane nature of medical care toward terminal patients, telling the Associated Press (AP), on Nov. 26, 1971, that death is “a period of life that can have a lot of meaning. It can be content, full of joy, with lots of reminiscing.” But death needed to be “more human and meaningful,” as she stated in the same AP article. Throughout her career, Wald’s passion for palliative care revolutionized the medical profession, with her co-founding “The Connecticut Hospice,” the first in the United States, on June 11, 1974.  Since then, more than 5,200 hospices have been established in the country and millions have sought both in-patient and home care services. This is the story of how the first hospice was founded in Connecticut 50 years ago.  ... 
Editor's Note: This fascinating history of hospice's beginnnings illuminate core purposes, outcomes (are we measuring the right factors?), and current 21st century challenges. This article is published by the Yankee Institute, not Connecticut Hospice. This author frames this history as a stand against "euthanasia." Whatever one's ethical, political, or religious stand on today's MAiD issues (Medical Aid in Dying)--also referred to as physician assisted suicide--we invite you to find common ground in learning from our history and celebrating Florence Wald's co-founding of The Connecticut Hospice. For readers, what do you know about your hospice organization's history? What might you research and learn? Whom can you honor? Fifty years from now, what will be said of how your organization chose to address 2024's core hospice purposes, outcomes, and challenges?