Tonight I was called upon to do a “tuck in” visit for a new patient. An admission had been scheduled to take place in the early afternoon, but our patient had been at the hospital waiting on a late discharge, and as the hours crept by, and 5:00 came and went, the admission was put…
Hospice isn’t a place, nor is the care just about those who are dying. Hospice is a comprehensive kind of care that focuses on living — it’s about living as fully as possible, surrounded by family and friends, up until the end of life. Palliative care brings this special philosophy of care to people earlier in…
Considered to be the model for quality, compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness or injury, hospice and palliative care involve a team-oriented approach to expert medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support expressly tailored to the person’s needs and wishes. Support is provided to the person’s loved ones as well. The…
Free Resource Helps Patients & Families Choose a Quality Hospice NHPCO Offers Guidance to Help People Make a Choice about a Hospice Provider (Alexandria, Va) — When a loved one is diagnosed with a serious or life-limiting illness, the questions facing an individual or a family can be overwhelming. The National Hospice and Palliative Care…
Children’s feelings of grief are complex. Many explanations commonly used to discuss death with children actually serve to confuse them. Fear for the lives of other family members or their own life is common. Do not use the word “sleep” when describing death. Children should be given simple, honest answers as to what is happening….
You may find yourself busy immediately following your loved one’s death. It is important during this time to take things slowly and enlist the help of friends and family. You can expect to experience grief for a long time. Be prepared for the possibility of unexpected feelings of bereavement months and even years after your…
You may not think of yourself as a caregiver, but anyone who helps someone else because that person is no longer able to manage some or all of the activities of daily life is considered a caregiver.
MAKING DECISIONS It is important to plan for the future and empower ourselves with options that meet our needs and desires. When faced with a life-limiting or terminal illness, many decisions must be made. These decisions can involve financial matters, advance directives, funeral arrangements, how the last days of life will be spent, and other…
Namaste Hospice believes that choice always exists. Excellent quality of life is always attainable — people with illness can live fully and die well. When death is accepted as a natural part of life, hope changes but does not disappear. A person faced with serious, life limiting or terminal illness need not stop reaching for…
MEDICATIONS Hospice provides medications that address symptoms related to the terminal diagnosis. All medications are prescribed by the attending physician and delivered by a courier service to the patient’s home. Medications are available to the patient 24 hours a day. The hospice nurse is responsible for ordering medications and will arrange for delivery at a…