Great article on hospice/end of life

[catlvr]

This is one of the best articles that I've read in a looong time: Hospice medical care for dying patients : The New Yorker (I hope that the link works). I am a relatively new nurse (almost three years) and I guess that I haven't yet gotten over the idea that doctors know all; this article makes it apparent that they need a lot of help with these end of life conversations.

Since I work in LTC, I'm trying to learn how to approach the idea of end of life, which is so very difficult. I think that the more that we staff nurses talk about it with families, the better the chance that they will be accepting of the facts when the time comes for their loved ones, and perhaps we can help them to understand and accept.

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[tokidokifantasy]

what a wonderful article. My grandpa has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and we have not told him about it yet. He is 82 yrs old and our family just think going through chemo will be too much for him to handle, if the time comes, we will opt out for chemo and call palliative care to ease his remaining days.

[hearts895, RN BSN]

Amazing article! Very emotional to read, but very important. Thanks for this post.

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Thank you. I have copied this article and will place a copy in our in service training folder. This is something all of us have to think of, in order to develop our own ars moriendi.

[catlvr]

It has given me so much to think about, not just professionally (I'm an LPN and work in LTC, and am always amazed at the number of residents with severe dementia or multiple serious health conditions who have not yet made their wishes known. Or, worse yet, how some families try to override someone's wishes). I'd love to have good training on how to handle these issues, since I'd like to go into hospice when I get my RN.

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[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

I am also sharing this. Thank you.

[KtHospiceRNCM]

I have been a CNA for Hospice for 5 years, I start my nursing program in 2 weeks.. I plan to stay with Hospice. So many, many more Doctors need to be educated and trained about Hospice/Palliative Care.. patients and families almost always say "I wish I would've had Hospice sooner". I have spent some wonderful moments with patients and families at the last days or even hours of life.. no part of death is easy - but for some being at home (or in a facility that is "home") with their family at bedside is more comforting than any amount of medicine. Time and time again, telling them "I love you, it's OK to go" is an option because they are not in an ICU or in a coma from the medicine trying to "save them".

It all comes down to education. Education about options. Yes, there are and will always be many different treatments available.. that doesn't mean they are all required to be used.

People like choices, people need choices - the key to to give them the tools to make educated decisions.

I love working with Hospice. It is challenging like any other aspect of healthcare, but it is very rewarding.

As nurses, and future nurses, please educate yourselves about Hospice. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have worked with Hospice for 5 years prior to starting nursing school - I hope I will be able to contribute to the others in my class.

Happy Nursing! :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe