Market scope note: This article covers information from both Korea and the United States. Each item is labeled 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. in the text to indicate which country it applies to.
When a doctor first tells a family that a parent's illness is unlikely to improve further, the feeling that overtakes most people is one of helplessness. No one teaches you what decisions need to be made, or where to begin. Yet the care called for during this period is not "giving up on treatment." It is about reducing pain, preserving dignity, and helping a loved one spend their remaining time as comfortably as possible — that is the essence of palliative care.
Palliative care focuses on relieving suffering regardless of how the illness is progressing. In the terminal stage, this transitions into hospice care. 🇰🇷 Korea According to the "2025 National Hospice and Palliative Care Annual Report" published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Hospice Center, 26,020 patients newly used hospice services in 2025, a steady increase from 22,394 in 2023 and 24,318 in 2024. 🇰🇷 Korea In the same report's public awareness survey, 89.9% of respondents rated the hospice system as highly necessary, and 93.1% said they would actually be willing to use it. While awareness of its importance is clearly widespread, many families still do not know how to access hospice care when the time comes.
🇺🇸 U.S. In the United States, 1,910,000 Medicare beneficiaries received hospice care in 2024, with 53.1% of Medicare decedents having received hospice — the first time more than half of all Medicare deaths involved hospice care. 🇺🇸 U.S. The Medicare Part A hospice benefit applies to patients who have received a terminal diagnosis and have been certified by two physicians as having a life expectancy of six months or less. Coverage includes nursing and medical visits, pain-management medications, medical equipment (such as a hospital bed and oxygen), social work counseling, spiritual care, and 13 months of bereavement support for the family after the patient's death. For most families, out-of-pocket costs are minimal.
The cornerstone of comfort-focused care is symptom management. Relieving discomfort — pain, difficulty breathing, anxiety, dry mouth — is the top priority. The most important role a family can play is to communicate clearly to the hospice team exactly what is bothering their loved one. Even if the person can no longer speak, facial expressions, body tension, and breathing patterns serve as signals. Keeping notes of these observations and sharing them with a nurse or doctor can be tremendously helpful in adjusting medication dosages or changing the approach to care. Beyond that, a quiet environment, a familiar voice, and a gentle touch — these non-medical elements also make a real difference in a loved one's comfort.
🇰🇷 Korea Korea's hospice system operates not only inpatient programs but also home-based hospice care. With home-based hospice, a team composed of a physician, nurse, and social worker visits the home on a regular basis to provide symptom management and family education. As of the end of 2025, the number of designated hospice specialist institutions nationwide has grown to 194. 🇰🇷 Korea One document worth preparing in advance, before a loved one passes, is the "사전연명의료의향서" (advance directive on life-sustaining treatment). Any adult aged 19 or older can complete this document in person at a registration institution designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and it must be registered in the system of the 국립연명의료관리기관 (National Agency for Management of Life-Sustaining Treatment) to carry legal effect. Starting in 2026, an online registration process is also being pursued, which is expected to make access considerably easier.
There is one aspect that families often overlook in their preparations: caring for themselves. After a prolonged period of caregiving, family members who are present at the end face not only physical exhaustion but also a swirl of complex emotions. Grief, relief, and guilt arriving all at once is a completely natural response. 🇺🇸 U.S. The Medicare hospice benefit includes at least 13 months of bereavement support following a patient's death, allowing family members to reach out to the hospice team's social workers and counselors. 🇰🇷 Korea The fact that 94.7% of bereaved families who used a designated hospice specialist institution reported satisfaction with the support they received demonstrates that this assistance makes a genuine difference in people's lives.
Sources: Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Hospice Center, and National Agency for Management of Life-Sustaining Treatment, "2025 National Hospice and Palliative Care Annual Report" (published 2025); National Agency for Management of Life-Sustaining Treatment website (lst.go.kr); Asia Economy and Euiyak Ilbo, "Online Registration of Advance Directives on Life-Sustaining Treatment Under Pursuit" (June 2026); National Alliance for Care at Home, "NHPCO Facts and Figures 2025 Edition" (2025, based on CY 2024 data); CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) Hospice Fact Sheet (January 2026); callbaba.com, Medicare Hospice Benefit coverage guide (2026).
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.