Seeking hospice experiences from nurses/aides

[amarilla, RN]

Hi all!

I am a med-surg RN currently seeking work in the hospice field. In the interim, I've been reading the books posted in the stickies. This semester, I'm taking a medical anthropology course and we're now talking about cultural considerations as respects the dying process. I've had a handful of experiences with comfort care and hospice patients in the hospital, but am seeking additional input from hospice nurses and aides who have some years on me.

Specifically, I'm interested in learning more about some of the things I've heard and seen - i.e., why some believe you have to open the window as death approaches, beliefs about how emotion is expressed by family members, special objects (of all religious types), and figures and people the patient sees / talks to / speaks about.

If anyone has experiences they would like to share, I would be so grateful! I have a simple questionaire (four questions!) that I can PM or e-mail to any interested parties. NO patient identifiers wanted or needed, obviously, and you are welcome to remain anonymous.

Thank you all! I will be working on this project until Thanksgiving (2011) and welcome any PMs or questions.

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

You can PM me if you'd like.

Sharon

[amarilla, RN]

Thank you so much, Sharon! PM en route!

Anyone else interested in sharing, please feel free to reply or PM me directly. I love reading the threads here and know I can create a more informed and culturally sensitive project with input from you all.

Best,

amarilla

[dosamigos76, RN]

Feel free to pm or e-mail me.

[LMTRN]

I'll help. Please PM me.

[amarilla, RN]

Thank you all for your kind offers to share! I appreciate each one so much and have sent along PMs.

:hug:

[amarilla, RN]

Anyone who hasn't replied but would like to share, I would still be happy to read and include your experiences in my research. The deadline for the paper was pushed back two weeks so I'm just rewriting my draft this week.

I also hope to make some of the tips I've received about becoming more sensitive to the needs of the dying patient into an inservice on my med-surg unit. Thank you all again!