History

Compassionate. Trusted. Experts.

Hospice of Acadiana, Inc. is proud to serve this community and offer the finest medical care to our patients and a complete array of services to their families. Father Louis Richard remains an active member of our Board of Directors, a constant reminder of our original goal—to bring a deep commitment to care for the dying.

Following the death of his grandmother while he was a seminarian studying in Belgium, Lafayette-native Father Louis Richard spent a summer working at St. Christopher's House near London with British physician, Dr. Cicely Saunders. Dr. Saunders is considered the founder of the modern-day Hospice movement, and it was there that Father Louis developed a deep commitment to care for the dying.

Returning home to Lafayette following his ordination, Father Louis met with other community leaders and, in 1983, helped establish Hospice of Acadiana, Inc.—a nonprofit hospice committed to providing quality care at the end of life for all, regardless of their ability to pay for these services.

Hospice of Acadiana, Inc. remains the ONLY nonprofit hospice in our area. We have the longest record of continuous service of any hospice in Louisiana, and, since our inception, we have served over 30,000 patients and their families.

Why We're Here

Hospice care in the U.S. began as a grassroots movement to provide care at home for terminally ill patients. It is a common misconception that hospice is a crisis service for the last few days of life. In actuality, hospice care is intended for patients with a terminal illness or condition, and a life expectancy of six months or less. The perception is that by electing hospice, the patient is giving up, and that end of life is imminent. However, the full benefit of hospice services come long before the end of life. We often hear, “We wish we had called hospice sooner.”

Hospice also emphasizes quality rather than length of life. Hospice neither hastens nor postpones death. It does, however, affirm life and regards death as a normal process. Our goal is to enhance the patient’s quality of life in his or her final months, weeks, and days.

Mission

Our mission is focused on:

• Enabling the terminally ill to live as fully and comfortably as possible
• Emphasizing quality of life
• Helping people deal with grief
• Offering education and resources
• Advocating appropriate care at appropriate times
• Reaching diverse populations while honoring customs and values