The Hospice Concept and Philosophy of providing care for persons suffering from illness has existed for centuries. The root word for hospice is the same as the word “hospital” and “hospitality”. A more organized concept of Hospice began to take shape in the Middle Ages as religious orders accepted weary and sick travelers by offering them “hospitality” throughout Europe. However it was not until the 1960’s that the roots of the Modern Day Hospice Movement began to develop. It was the vision of Dame Cecily Saunders, a trained Social Worker, who later became a physician and tireless crusader to change the way society provided care for individuals who were facing end of life. She founded St. Christopher’s Hospice in a suburb of London in 1967.