Characteristics of the patients of Hospice Balade: a unique hospice for people with limited access to hospice care

Most people in The Netherlands have access to high quality palliative care—multidisciplinary total care aimed at patients’ quality of life when patients have limited life expectancies. All nurses and generalist physicians receive at least basic palliative care training. Nursing home staff is also well aware of palliative care principles. For patients with life xpectancies of three months or less, hospice care is available in stand-alone hospices or units in nursing homes. In general, however, hospice care is only accessible to people who are aware of their life expectancies and who do not exhibit complex behaviour or behaviour experienced as disruptive or disturbing.