![]() There is a blog post with some interesting points and comments that I’d like you to read, The Danger of For-Profit Hospices. The title alone gave me chills, did it do it to you too? I guess in some people’s minds, only those working in non-profits have the hospice heart, or give the best service and of course that is not true. It totally depends on the company. Who owns the company is a good question and matters to a point. I’ve worked at 3 for-profit hospices and one nonprofit. One of the for-profits was
0 Comments
![]() I wanted to revisit a study that came out 2 years ago (in case any of you missed it). I remember I had been looking for quite awhile for a study that would validate what we know in hospice–that if you come into hospice sooner, you have a good chance of living longer. There was not one. The closest I came to was an article written by a doctor stating another doctor did a study that came to this conclusion, but I couldn’t find the study (there were no references in the article). I needed more than that. Then, the following article came on the scene in March 2007: “Comparing Hospice and Nonhospice Patient Survival Among Patients Who Die Within a Three-Year Window” ![]() Use us, it’s something you may want to think about. If someone you love is very ill in the ‘end stage’ of a disease process and there are no surgeries that will change the condition, think about calling a hospice. Not for the typical reason a person would call, i.e. ‘there is only 6 months to live’ but to manage symptoms that are not being managed well right now. If he is in and out of the hospital or stays in the hospital more than he stays at home, consider taking advantage of us. ![]() Reading the article, Life and Death: Helping Families On Big Questions, made me think of a few things. The article discusses how ethical committees and consultants in hospitals are being criticized for not being trained enough to talk with families regarding end of life issues. When I read this article, what I thought about is that hospice team members have these talks daily in their practice as a matter of course. We are part of family meetings where all kinds of difficult and emotional topics are discussed. ![]() The following is a very interesting article by the Hospice Association of America, “Hospice Facts and Statistics,” which brings together a report by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) as well as information from other entities. I just have a few comments. All of us know that earlier access to quality palliative care and earlier entry into a hospice program is what will relieve the most suffering possible at the end of life. But because we are actually making baby steps in succeeding at My national trade organization, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization sent out their weekly news brief yesterday. There was a story of a man from Michigan. His story is not uncommon for people who come to hospice early after terminal diagnosis, especially those with end-stage heart or lung conditions.
(From the article) “…Laurin has shattered many of the myths surrounding hospice services. One misconception that Laurin’s treatment has proved false is that of medical treatments ending once a patient has been admitted to hospice services… Laurin Right this minute, I’m sitting in the home of a family that I’ve been talking with for about a week. It’s 10:15pm on Thursday and we have just finished eating cherry pie a la mode and talking, relaxing after a lengthy admission into a hospice program. 6 feet away from us is a man lying in his bed looking out of the window which looks over his land. During the day he will see his beautiful pond and watch the ducks swim around in it. He has not been home in 3 months.
|
AuthorIn fall 2014, I moved some old blog posts here that I had written years ago from 2007 to 2010. Hope they are helpful. Archives
February 2010
Categories
All
|