Pioneer of the Hospice Movement (1918–2005)
Cicely Saunders—a nurse, social worker, and finally, physician—is recognized as a founder of the modern hospice movement, a holistic approach to care for the dying that combines expert pain management with loving and compassionate care. Her interest in this area was stimulated in part by the death of two very close friends. Working in hospitals, she was discouraged by the common attitude, in the face of terminal illness, that “nothing more can be done.” Believing there was always “so much more to be done,” she promoted an approach to care that addressed the full needs of her patients and their families—including social, emotional, and spiritual needs.
In 1967 she founded St. Christopher’s hospice in London—the first dedicated institution of its kind. Saunders had undergone a deep religious conversion in her youth—as if “a switch had flipped.” She contemplated the organization and funding of her plan for many years after reading Psalm 37: “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” She considered founding an Anglican order to staff the hospice but decided instead that it should be a place where people of all faiths or none should feel welcome.
She received numerous national honors and humanitarian awards as well as the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. Dame Cicely died of breast cancer in her own hospice on July 14, 2005.
“Suffering is only intolerable when nobody cares. One continually sees that faith in God and his care is made infinitely easier by faith in someone who has shown kindness and sympathy.”
—Cicely Saunders
