title: Perceptions about hospice from a community-based pilot study: lessons and findings.
abstract: Research investigating the knowledge and attitudes of diverse older adults about hospice care and end-of-life issues is needed to expand service utilization. This pilot study explored an urban area's perceptions and awareness of hospice through local churches. The sample consisted of 148 adults age 43 and older. Although recruitment efforts resulted in a relatively homogenous sample, findings suggest a lack of knowledge about whether hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance. Perceptions of the expense of hospice, however, were not associated with knowledge of coverage. Respondents generally agreed that hospice is important and would recommend its services for their family members.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Gerontology, Youngstown State University, OH 44555, USA. djvandussen@ysu.edu
authors.forename: Daniel Van
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Dussen
authors.forename: Krystal L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Culler
authors.forename: John G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Cagle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D017051:Hospice Care; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009820:Ohio; D010166:Palliative Care; D010465:Perception; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014505:Urban Population