The word "hospice" stems from the Latin word "hospitium" meaning guest house. It was originally used to describe a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages. During the 1960's, Dr. Cicely Saunders, a British physician began the modern hospice movement by establishing St. Christopher's Hospice near London. St. Christopher's organized a team approach to professional care giving, and was the first program to use modern pain management techniques to compassionately care for the dying. The first hospice in the United States was established in New Haven, Connecticut in 1974. Today there are more than 3,100 hospice programs in the United States. Hospice is not a place but a concept of care. Eighty percent of hospice care is provided in the patient's home, family member's home and in nursing homes. Inpatient hospice facilities are sometimes available to assist with care giving.

In Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA Nursing Homes, Assisted Living, Residential Care and Adult Care Homes all provide Hospice care.