Hospice or Hospital When Your Time Comes?

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  1. Hospice or Hospital

    • 153
      Hospice
    • 9
      Hospital

162 members have participated

After this last hospital experience, I have chosen hospice. It will probably start next month.

Polar bear.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Mom used to work in a hospice (admin, not nursing) and loved everything about it. Back before HIPAA and all that jazz (and with the patient's okay, of course) I got to meet a patient or two. Those meetings (and those patients) changed my life forever.

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Specializes in CCU.

Close the door, turn out the lights and let me go...I will just take my chances on heaven or hell.

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Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.

I already have a will made out that specifies I don't want to be kept alive on machines or in a vegetative state or like Terri Schiavo.

If I'm in rough shape with poor hope for recovery and my family doesn't respect my wishes and I end up with a feeding tube not knowing who I am or where I'm at and I die gownless and surrounded by medical personnel pounding on my chest and giving me 'shock therapy', I swear I'll come back and haunt my kids. I do not want to die like that.

When my kids grow up and move out I'm getting "Do Not Resuscitate" tattooed on my chest.

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I thought the hospital has more benefits

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Specializes in Dialysis, Home Care, Hospice.
I thought the hospital has more benefits

That depends on what you want. I'm a Hospice nurse and it's true that some patients and their families could not and would not handle dying at home. For the rest though when given a choice want to die at home. Symptoms can be managed in the home setting. I have taught many a family member how to do things they thought they would never do. It takes love and dedication to take on the role as caregiver but why be in the hospital when you can die where you are comfortable and you have someone willing to care for you. For me, the choice is Hospice.

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Specializes in psychiatry,geropsych,LTC/SNF, hospice.

Definately hospice, especially after watching 3 patients pass away on our geropsych unit the past 2 weeks as well as trying to convince the families of 2 other patients to change status to DNR (one patient was 89 with brain mets!) so that at least we could make them comfortable. We hate it when we have patients die in our "looney bin". It's just wrong.:(

I've told all my kids to make sure I'm "overly comfortable" or I'll come back and haunt them.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

I would want my family and cat there for me, and I know most hospitals have a "no cat" policy. But I don't know if my husband would want me to die at home, we will have to discuss this when the time comes.

I wish my mom could have died peacefully at home instead of in the hospital. But she wasn't alone, her sister was with her. No easy answers...

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I wish my mom could have died peacefully at home instead of in the hospital. But she wasn't alone, her sister was with her. No easy answers...

my mom died in the icu.

after disconnecting all her lines, i snuggled into bed, next to her.

i could see the morphine totally relaxing her body.

yes, she was at total peace.

there was even a rainbow, 10 minutes after she died.

i never imagined a hospital being an ideal place, but this icu nurse was a gift from God.

and as a result, mom's death was a quiet blessing.

leslie

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Specializes in Staff nurse.
my mom died in the icu.

after disconnecting all her lines, i snuggled into bed, next to her.

i could see the morphine totally relaxing her body.

yes, she was at total peace.

there was even a rainbow, 10 minutes after she died.

i never imagined a hospital being an ideal place, but this icu nurse was a gift from God.

and as a result, mom's death was a quiet blessing.

leslie

What a precious memory you have!! to snuggle and hold and a rainbow. Yes, not all hospital deaths are bad.

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

HOSPICE, HOSPICE, HOSPICE!!!!!! I have worked an inpatient Hospice unit for over a year and this is without a doubt the most compassionate, caring, friendly group of nurses I have ever worked with in my life. I can't even begin to tell you the acts of kindness I have seen from my co-workers, things that are completely unheard of in the hospital setting becomes "lets make it happen" at Hospice. I have already made my friends and family aware of my wishes, have a living will in place and KNOW that my husband would follow through if it ever came to that. I hope to live to my golden years, but until then or if not it is HOSPICE FOR ME!!!!!!

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I noticed that so far only 7 out of over 100 people said hospital. I am glad to say that I don't have any personal experience with hospice. However, I certainly agree with the majority. I can't think of a situation where being in the hospital would be more comforting for the patient and family. The passing of a loved one is a difficult time as is. I can only imagine that a comfortable and familar environment would be best.

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