As interest in the psychosocial aspects of
pain increased during the mid-20th century,
a greater attention was also paid to the pain
and the process of dying. Dame Cicely
Saunders (1918–2005) is generally acknowledged
as the founder of the modern hospice
movement. Saunders pioneered the “by the
clock” method of opioid administration.
Rather than waiting for pain to return before
giving the patient drugs, Saunders regulated
the amount of analgesics given on a consistent
basis. In 1967, Saunders opened St.
Christopher’s Hospice, addressing the social,
spiritual, and psychological needs of the
patient, in addition to opioid treatment. In
the mid-1980s, hospice care, especially in
the United States, emphasized home care and
was on the forefront of assisting in the passing
of those stricken with AIDS. Currently
there are well over 3,000 hospice care programs
in the United States, each with the goal
of making the last days of the terminally ill
more comfortable. Nonetheless fully half of
all hospitalized patients still experience moderate
to severe pain in their last days of life.