Florence Wald And The Hospice Movement
Florence Wald is widely known as the pioneer of the hospice movement. She was born on April 19, 1971, in New York City and died at the age of 91 at her home in Connecticut. She received a bachelor’s of arts degree at Mount Holyoke College and a master’s degree in nursing from Yale University School of Nursing. Mrs. Wald started her nursing career as a staff nurse but went on to serve in many positions through her career, including research assistant, nursing instructor, associate professor, and clinical associate professor. She was appointed dean at Yale University School of Nursing and kept the position for ten years. (ANA).
According to ANA, Mrs. Wald traveled to England in the late 1960’s to assess hospice care at Saint Christopher’s
Hospice and upon her return to the United States implemented a study to determine the need for a hospice in Connecticut and was influential in opening the first hospice in the United States in 1971. “Wald developed a hospice model that provides holistic and humanistic care for the dying person and requires appropriate understanding of the concepts of death and dying among nurses giving care in the hospice environment” (ANA). Mrs. Wald organized with community leaders, clergy, and other healthcare providers to create a vision around end of life care based on high values of reverence for life and social justice for all. (truth).
We have come a long way in how dying patients receive care in this country. At the time of Florence Wald’s passing in 2008, there were over 4700 hospices in the United States. (truth) Patients now have a choice and a voice in the decisions about their treatment, including whether they want treatment at all. Before the opening of the hospice in Connecticut, terminally ill patients usually died in the hospital, without family at times due to the constraints of visitation policies while hospice care incorporates the family into the care. (truth).
According to ANA, Mrs. Wald traveled to England in the late 1960’s to assess hospice care at Saint Christopher’s
Hospice and upon her return to the United States implemented a study to determine the need for a hospice in Connecticut and was influential in opening the first hospice in the United States in 1971. “Wald developed a hospice model that provides holistic and humanistic care for the dying person and requires appropriate understanding of the concepts of death and dying among nurses giving care in the hospice environment” (ANA). Mrs. Wald organized with community leaders, clergy, and other healthcare providers to create a vision around end of life care based on high values of reverence for life and social justice for all. (truth).
We have come a long way in how dying patients receive care in this country. At the time of Florence Wald’s passing in 2008, there were over 4700 hospices in the United States. (truth) Patients now have a choice and a voice in the decisions about their treatment, including whether they want treatment at all. Before the opening of the hospice in Connecticut, terminally ill patients usually died in the hospital, without family at times due to the constraints of visitation policies while hospice care incorporates the family into the care. (truth).