Selling your product

[Vtachy1]

I did my second info visit yesterday and family did not elect to go with Hospice. Or at least they said they wanted to think about it.

I'm new at this, what do you tell people during info visits? If it were me, I would absolutely choose Hospice! It seems like a no brainer, we offer so much support. I know I am predjudice, but I have always loved Hospice every since they helped my mom so much.

How do you do your info visits? WHat do you say that touches them? Please give me some tips and advise.

[brownbook]

I was visiting an elderly relative with great family and care giver support. I mentioned hospice to one of the main care givers. She said "NO! I am caring for another elderly couple and the hospice nurse told the wife, ""You understand you cannot call an ambulance."" We don't want that!"

Just letting you know what misconceptions families get. Of course you and I understand the whys, whens, ifs, an ambulance would need to be called, but the family does not! We all have selective hearing. The nurse may have said many great things about hospice, what to do if the loved one was in distress, but the wife and care giver probably stopped listening when they heard, "We can't call an ambulance!"

I think nurses need to listen, not sell, in some situations. Listen to what the family says. Ask them to tell you what they think, have heard, know, about hospice. What fears, concerns, worries, do they have about being under hospice care.

[ErinS, BSN, RN]

A few hints on informational visits. I talk slower and in a lower voice than normal- this seems to be less intimidating. I also allow 30 minutes of my visit for them to tell me what is going on. This allows me to discuss a specific plan of care for their loved one. We know that hospice is great because of the support, but it can be hard for family to understand how that applies to their loved one. I also emphasize that once someone does not want to return to the ER, hospice is the best option. It is rare that I do not admit after an eval, so this must work okay. That being said, I work for an ethical company that does not offer the moon and stars (for example, we do not discuss continuous care as being an option, because we rarely ever have a pt in a crisis that qualifies for continuous care). I know that sometimes the pts I eval are interviewing several hospices, and those hospice are offering things that I can't, like CC at end of life.