Hospice care is a term that first came into general use in the 1960s with the opening of St. Christopher's hospice in London. St. Christopher's provided care for people who were dying of incurable and advanced cancer. The aim of hospice care is to provide the best possible quality of life, and to relieve pain and other symptoms during the final days of a person's life, at a time when the underlying disease can no longer be treated or cured.