Everything Nurses >> Nurse Talk >> info on hospice?? please??
info on hospice?? please??
1306 posts back to top |
Posted about 4 years ago I'm spending some time next week at an inpt hospice facility <for school, an arranged clinical>. From what my preceptor on the phone told me it was 'comfort measures'. There has to be more to it than that, right? Can somebody enlighten me? I will appreciate any assistance, thanks. I was expecting horrors with depression! I hope to do well and just want to know what to expect. We only have one heart, take care of it! Angie |
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| Posted about 4 years ago I inspected hospices for the State - at least back then the Hospice option required a diagnosis of 6 months or less expected to live... But here's the surprise: I never met a happier group of patients, family and caregivers. Everyone loved it. The hospices I dealt with were not in facilities, but provided care in the homes of patients. The patients are provided palliative care only (comfort measures). But that includes a lot. The only things they can't receive are meds or treatments designed solely to "cure" the condition. Hospice nurses and aides loved their work. They concentrate on one patient. I've dealt with every conceivable type of healh care provider. Hospices were by far the most pleasant. |
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1306 posts back to top |
| Posted about 4 years ago Thanks so much for your info! Very helpful and I'm looking forward to my stent there now! We only have one heart, take care of it! Angie |
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| Posted about 4 years ago I work part time for my local hospice. It is much more than comfort care. It's about caring for the whole family, and providing dignity and quality of life during the end of days. Our inpatient unit is small: 12 beds, and are filled by patients to give respite to families for a short periods (a few days), or who are expected to die within days and don't want to die at home. Some patients don't want their loved ones to think of home as where they died. These patients and families are grateful, well adjusted (for the most part) and accepting of their fate. Their focus is on enjoying what time they have as best they can. I'm sure you will be inspired by your rotation there. |
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| Posted about 4 years ago We often had hospice pt's at a snf that I used to work at. They are dealing with end of life issues. Often hospice pt's have several pages of standing orders which include things like pain management, anxiety management, cath's, nausea and vomiting, constipation, fever etc. Open discussions with pt's and family about death are encouraged. We used to have a folder with the Kubler Ross stages of grieving, along with what to expect near the end. Comfort care, means keeping the pt comfortable...pain free, anxiety free. The hardest part for me was family wanting to know exactly 'when it would happen'. While there are signs, pts can go on breathing 4 or 5 times a minute for hours, even days. It's hard to pinpoint....Family would sit at bedside afraid to leave, for fear they would miss the end.....Each case is different, with some families wanting loved ones on oxygen or IV and other's wanting next to nothing. We were allowed to pronounce death, at that point we would notify the MD for OK to release body, and the funeral home, as well as any pastoral services that were requested. We would wash the body, remove any IV's, caths etc in preparation for the undertaker's arrival. |
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| Posted about 4 years ago I am a full time hospice nurse. I have been a nurse since 1978 starting in NICU, worked my way through peds, ICU, med surg, etc and now I am doing hospice. It is by far one of the most satisfying jobs that I have had. I work with the patient and making sure that all is being done to keep them comfortable. I haven't lost any of my nursing skills, in fact I have probably picked up a few that I had forgotten about because if you are out in the field, you are basically on your own. I still use PCA pumps, insert foleys, draw blood, call doctors and suggest meds that might make a difference in the patient's pain control. Along with that we are the case managers of the team which consist of a CNA, social worker, pastor, volunteer and in some cases a therapist. We also do a lot of laughing with our patients and their families along with hugs, long talks and in some cases long sessions of teaching. We always do a lot of educating for the family and the patient. We try to give the patient and the family the most dignified end of life care that we possibly can. Is it all a bed of roses? Heck no! There are days that we cry, we get frustrated, we wonder if we are doing any good. In the long run, I know the nurses and group that I work with, which by the way has over 300 employees, wouldn't trade our jobs for anything and let me tell you, we all have been offered other jobs. Enjoy your rotation, ask questions and have the hospice nurse explain all that is happening. Another words, make the most of this time. |
