Needs and experiences of non-English-speaking hospice patients and families in an English-speaking country

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that, in practice, hospice care is predominantly accessed by white, middle-class patients, who live in stable home environments with available caregivers and other supports. The present challenge for researchers, administrators, and clinicians is to identify populations of terminally ill patients most in need of hospice care and to direct services to these patients. As a contribution to the development of this area, this paper presents the findings from a recent Australian hospice study that examines the needs and experiences of families from non-English-speaking backgrounds. The findings indicate that it is as important to focus on similarities as it is to highlight differences.