Hospice care is available to patients and families dealing with terminal illness. People often do not avail themselves of hospice care because they don’t understand what it entails. Many wait until their last few days to request this extraordinary comfort care instead of using the full six months available to them through Medicare and other insurance options.

Demystifying Hospice describes through stories good news about end-of-life issues. Written from the perspective of a licensed social worker with experience in public and private hospitals, hospice, and the American Cancer Society, these first-hand accounts of patients, family members, hospice workers and others will lift spirits, touch hearts, and illustrate the advantages of hospice care. These are real-life examples of personalized comfort care, offered by an interdisciplinary team, where ever the patient lives. Each story addresses some aspect of helping families through the caregiving and grieving process, which are part-and-parcel of a serious illness, and offers comfort and understanding to readers who may be going through similar experiences. This book describes hope, healing, and support through difficult times.

"[Clayton’s] stories address when hospice is appropriate, how and where hospice care is given, the needs of the dying and their caregivers, how care is personalized, and most importantly the benefits of meaningful relationships between all involved—patients, families, and their lay and professional care providers. An added benefit of the story format is that it demonstrates through examples how to establish meaningful relationships, making the book valuable not only to people and families approaching the end of life but also professional healthcare providers, who often lack experience giving end of life care and who may themselves be grappling with their own uncertainties" - CHOICE

"“Hospice is extraordinary!” With this opening line, Clayton, a social worker and sociologist, declares her advocacy. In what she calls “a gentle book about a difficult subject,” she spells out the benefits of compassionate care for people who can’t get more “curative” treatment, or who don’t want more of it.... Clayton offers useful advice, including good tips on how to make last days more pleasant for both the patient and caregivers. Deepened by Clayton's feeling that it is an honor to find ways to help people say goodbye to their loved ones, this guide is invaluable." - Booklist