Abstract
Hospice care is characterised by individual care at the end of life. The patient is aware of the situation and Hospice staffs help patients and their relatives to accept the process and together plan for palliative care. When the patient dies the staff give support to the relatives. The aim of this study was to compare the perception of care between the patient and the relatives in a small hospice setting. Nine patients were interviewed and 58 relatives answered a questionnaire. Findings show that patients get good help with palliative care such as active treatment of pain and other symptoms of discomfort. The patients appreciate the individual caring delivered at Hospice. Relatives value the support from the staff when the patient dies and afterwards. A difference was found showing patient miss their normal bodies function while relatives think the patient particularly miss their home and families at the end of life. The study shows the importance of asking the patient himself of their opinion about caring and not only asking their relatives.