ABSTRACT
Hospice care in the United States offers families an array of services that traditionally have not been available. These services include, but are not limited to, the availability of a nurse 24 hours a day to assist the family in caring for the terminally ill person at home, the availability of trained volunteers to provide the family with respite, and the availability of bereavement follow-up. Despite these expanded services the family is confronted with potentially stressful situations. Such situations include assuming the responsibility of caring for the terminally ill member and experiencing the grief associated with the eventual death of the family member.
