Topics About 'Palliative Care'.

It is not unusual for hospice and palliative services to be confused with one another. When a patient and their family are in the situation of deciding between the two, they are already likely in a place of stress and anxiety and it’s important to pr...

I began my practice as a hospice RN in 1996. At that time the facility was seated in a pocket of the Midwest where "hospice" was not often spoken. I worked for a small hospice that had a census of eight (yes, you read that right-more staff than patie...

We take any number of off-service patients. While we are a respiratory and infectious disease ward, we were known to be able to make a bed for anyone. Today is bipap, tomorrow is suicide protocol for a soldier from the local base. We could do it all....

The call came in while at work. My mom's brother Steve had been rushed to a hospital. He was dying. I decided to go on the weekend when I was off, as my partner at work was out sick. I flew into Canada and made my way to the hospital. My aunt, a reti...

To the Patient I’ll Never ForgetWhen we first met, it was my third year of nursing. I was young and excited to start my new job in the clinic. You were in your 80's, and had been through a lot - Heart Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Dialysis, and no...

I took a seat on the kitchen chair that the daughter brought in. Pulling it up to the double bed, I tried to get close to my patient, a woman nearing the end of her battle with gastric cancer. She tried to return my smile, and I squeezed her hand as ...

Hospice also has a role in serving the community through educational speeches and work shops. Our liaison educates staff in Nursing Homes, Assisted Living Facilities, Doctors offices, and hospitals about the services Hospice provides. Hospice is...

What do you think when the doctor says that your patient is palliative? If the first word that comes to mind is dying, then you are like many other healthcare professionals. However, the patient you were told is palliative may not be imminently ...

Hospice Care Hospice care is defined as support and care for terminally ill persons to help them achieve maximum comfort and the greatest satisfaction possible with remaining life. It's services are designed to optimize the care experience at end...

"If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." James 3:2 I reach down to touch Anne's* hand, my own fingers still chilled by the outside morning air. Her eyelids flutter, letting me know she ...

The answer elicits a moment of silence while the questioner grapples with the unexpectedness of the answer I give. A quick mix of surprise and terror crosses the questioner's face, and he or she manages to say, "Oh. How interesting." Usually at this ...

I’m a hospice nurse. At least, I was a hospice nurse until about a year ago, at which point I finally decided to choose life over death. Back then my mornings consisted of pounding the New York City pavement. I’d rush to catch the express train at th...

Thinking about all these dear folk that I have had the pleasure of looking after I am drawn back to one of my dear patients that died only a few months ago. My first meeting with this lady was very strained. She was a very private woman who did not o...

"What brought you to work with hospice?" As we buckled our seat belts, I looked over at Brenda, our new nurse in orientation with the question.She described a prior life in customer service, then a change of direction leading to nursing school. While...

Family members of patients in the intensive care unit are an intricate piece in the end of life decision making process. However, families are not always as informed or involved as they would like to be. There are a multitude of articles relating fam...

The Hospice Nurse One of the realities of health care is that not all patients can be cured. The time comes for all of us when we face death. For some, it comes quickly and unexpectedly. For others, a terminal illness or condition is diagnosed, g...

Oncology nursing is the overall general care of the patient diagnosed with cancer, care for those who choose treatment, and the support of the patient who is in remission. Cancer is no longer the death sentence that it once was. With new discoveries ...