Hospice Opinions

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The only experiences that I have much knowledge of are ones in which it was designed for end of life care, that doesn't mean it's the only one out there and others have spoken to those but for the ones I've know there was a clear transition from each of the people I knew from continual treatment to now just comfort with the expectation that passing was to be relatively soon.

My grandmother has the shortest timeframe of those I know being in hospice for less than 12 hours before she passed. Prior to that however she was essentially only doing basic functions on a robotic level even just over a week before her passing when I last saw her and has progressed even further than that when she was placed in hospice, she was not cognizant in the least at the point of her going into hospice. She had gone from hospital to physical rehab to longer term treatment care to hospice. I don't think I can adequately give much information on how it was experience wise because she passed so quickly.

Another one was my husband's great aunt who was in hospice for several months having switched there from long-term care.

Another one was my husband's coworker's son who had terminal cancer and they transitioned him to hospice after the experimental treatment (that he had been on for well over a year) stopped working and there was no further treatment deemed possible. He was in hospice for several weeks before passing. From all the posts the stepmother posted he was well cared for while in there.

I do agree with others that not all hospice is equal, much like hospital or care treatment (short or long term) or physical rehab is equal either. But it can be a more emotional investment and thus toll with hospice in particular. I do agree with reviewing any hospice care you would be looking into.

 

[disneyseniors]

I am a retired RN, with hospice experience. I have been reading these posts and am sad at some of the bad experiences others have had. I was lucky to live in an area that was mostly rural with most big city hospitals not around us. I think living in a smaller, non big city, area was a blessing. We knew a lot of our patients and families, and were familiar with where they lived. We traveled within 50 miles of our town into some very rural areas where there were dirt roads and lots of farms and difficult to find places. It was challenging but I Loved Every Minute of this job.

We sometimes scheduled daily care of patients if needed. It all depended on the patient's needs. The RN manager (which I was) sets up all care and supervises all departments. The RN's always saw the patient at least weekly or more. If the patient wanted to go to the hospital for care, we would set it up for them. If they wanted to come back on Hospice, we would do that too. It was all about what the patient wanted. We gave medications to keep the patient comfortable, IF that is what they wanted. It was up to them. If they wanted to only have occasional pain meds, then we set it up that way. It was made clear that we would do what the patient wanted regarding their pain meds and care. Most wanted to be comfortable but not drowsy, and that was possible.

It was one of the most rewarding nursing careers I have had over the years. It allows patients to stay in their homes and to be comfortable and cared for (at least in our hospice). It saddens me to hear of subpar treatment by other hospices.

If you are in an area with more than one hospice service, I would certainly check them out. If they are legit (which most are IMO), they won't mind that at all.

I'm sorry for the people who had a bad experience with their hospice. There's no excuse for a hospice to be run that way, IMO.

 

[Praying Colonel]

My mother had a very aggressive metastatic cancer and was end stage. She was in hospice for 3 weeks before she passed. They gave amazing care to her and our family.

 

[kanne323]

My parents used at-home hospice care when my mom was dying of cancer. But my dad didn't realize that the hospice service was only going to send a nurse for an at-home visit once a week. He really struggled a lot dealing with everything. Probably should have requested more frequent assistance. She got transferred to an inpatient hospice facility 4-5 days before she passed away...once at the hospice facility, she was a lot more comfortable because they gave her the pain meds she really needed.

When my MIL passed away, we used hospice services because she had cancer and decided that she didn't want cancer treatment. One thing my husband didn't realize once his mom had made the choice to do hospice care was this meant that his mom would no longer be taking any of her regular meds. She was insulin-dependent. So that meant no more insulin. She took different meds for heart disease...they stopped those, too. My husband was really alarmed by this, but he didn't realize at first that this is what normally happens when the patient says they want palliative care and when the patient says they don't want any more measures taken to prolong their life.

In the end, my MIL was really comfortable, was not in pain, and everyone was able to get there in time to see her and say goodbye. The hospice services made the dying process a lot easier for her.

Ugh, I'm sorry to hear that about your MIL. That's very agency-specific- not every hospice will require a patient to stop meds like insulin. The very core of hospice is patient-centered care and the patient should be making as many choices as possible, including regarding all meds.

It was all about what the patient wanted.

And this is how it should be.

 

[DebbieB]

My mom had in home hospice for her last week, she declined rapidly from liver failure after her cancer spread there. Her retired nurse sister came to help in the last 3 or 4 days, it was too much for me. What was nice is whatever supplies she needed we just called and they were delivered. The visiting nurse came once. When she passed, we called them and they sent a nurse to pronounce her, contacted the coroner. She may have also contacted the funeral home, I can’t remember. They also sent a counselor to talk to me, they kept in contact afterwards.

 

[NC Belle]

My family has great experiences with hospice with our last experience was one of Mom's younger brothers who passed 2 weeks ago after a long battle of health issues. Hospice was in another state and the staff offer resources to our family which involved multiple states across the country. My cousin who lived near my uncle was able to bring dogs to visit my uncle who was in a nursing home.
My late father in law loved the hospice team and they were fast in removing most equipment and bed in a short time...maybe 1-2 hours.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I think it takes a special kind of person to work hospice. Honestly, I do not know how somebody can do it. They must be some kind of angels.

From what I have seen in my limited experience (not wanting to get into details) they were kind and helpful.