Hospice Cares For Terminally Ill During Final Stage Of Life

DENVER - AUGUST 31: Hospice chaplain Claire Nord (L), prays with Ken Sheel, terminally ill with pancreatic cancer, and his family at a park while on a home hospice visit on August 31, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. The non-profit Hospice of Saint John serves an average of 200 people at any given time, most of them homecare patients. The hospice accepts patients regardless of their ability to pay, although most are covered by Medicare or Medicaid. The goal of the center is to maintain quality of life, manage pain, and offer spiritual guidance for residents in the last stage of their lives. End of life care has become a contentious issue in the current national debate on health care reform. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)