Is Hospice Helpful In Your Facility?

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2005

Dump your other hospice. I've had good experiences with different hospices.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jun 16, 2005

We have two different hospices. The nurse from one is great, but the aides aren't too hot. On the other hand, the nurse from the other hospice is not good, but the aides and all the other services they offer are wonderful. We meet with them every 2 weeks so we are all up to date with all the hospice patients. Among my many other jobs, I am the hospice liason. The surveyors around here don't like hospice so I have to be in constant contact with the hospice people to make sure we are all charting the same sorts of things. Last month we had 16 hospice patients in my building. More than the previous 5 years combined, and 1/3 of them were inpatient hospice.

Shell5 · Jun 16, 2005

I wish I could dump the other hospice, but I don't have that privalege. I am a floor RN, not the DON. It is so political where I work and it is upsetting to me. It doen't seem that hospice nurses really do that much for the patients. To be fair, I'm only there weekend doubles. Maybe they do.

Bird2 · Jun 17, 2005

I wish I could dump the other hospice, but I don't have that privalege. I am a floor RN, not the DON. It is so political where I work and it is upsetting to me. It doen't seem that hospice nurses really do that much for the patients. To be fair, I'm only there weekend doubles. Maybe they do.

Have you sat down with the Administrator and DON and explained why you are not satisfied with the care of the one Hospice. Maybe they are not fully informed. If enough employees speak up in a calm, professional manner they will understand. Contracts can be broken or not renewed.

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2005

Yep...let the higher ups know. Sometimes some nurses try to avoid hospice..We order the same meds/ tx that hospice would, but it is nice for the families to have the support. As far as the aids.....they come in, but our residents are already taken care of...so they realy aren't necessary and the nurses do come in and asssess, but they agree with everything we have already done.

When it came time to let my dad die...we chose hospice because we couldn't take him home and he wouldn't have made a trip to a LTC. Hospice/ medicare covered everything ....it was good for my mom and also gave the nurses/ docs some direction.

Shell5 · Jun 22, 2005

Thank you for your input. It has given me some ideas.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jun 22, 2005

Okay about dumping the other hospice...I want to remind all of us that it is the PATIENT'S CHOICE on what hospice PERIOD! This is in their bill of rights, and a discussion of the two hospices to your patient or having them (or family) do research on a particular hospice is within their rights and just makes sence!

We had three hospices and they all came in and did a discussion on what they do for services (they were bidding for us RN's to name drop!). I especially adore one in particular, but it is my patients choice and I don't necessarily sway them with my own thoughts since I am not the one that needs this essential service.

But lucky for me...all three are AWESOME! They call back or come in minutes of me asking, they provide harp music or massages, have bath aides, volunteers to talk to residents that may not have family or someone to be at their side, take care of the family even a year after the person dies..etc!

I find them to be almost vital to me, I do not have the time to provide any of these services or time since I have 160 residents! They are so intuned to the needs of my residents that need them, and they are just the best resource I can think of! They are also so much more knowledgable towards end of life issues than MD's who most time are too scared to simply let a patient go or give adequate pain management~!

Why don't you suggest to your nursing administration an inservice with those two hospices for your RN's or even CNA's and see what everyone's overall reactions are...bet you the better of the two will start getting more names dropped :) (and it is the PC way to do it!).

I will tell you, although I groaned at the mention of an inservice...the inservices these hospices gave were some of the BEST bits of info I have gotten in years!!!!! Very valuable..and heck..ours provided meals..good ones too...and pens, and pads, and other gift bags so why not..LOL! I learned SO MUCH, and now know about how to get some of the services they get and what their services actually really have available! BIG BONUS!