Abstract
Hospice programs provide interdisciplinary palliative care and services to patients with a life-limiting illness; 6 months or less if the disease runs its normal course. Social workers have been a required part of the hospice interdisciplinary group since the inception of the Hospice Medicare Benefit in 1983 (Department of Health and Human Services 2008), and it is impossible to imagine hospice care without the involvement of social workers. Social workers are uniquely trained to assess the psychological and social factors that impact well-being and intervene when the inability to cope and emotional stress further impair the function of the patient and family.