Hospice in Every Day Life

Possible scenario for Hospice intervention:
Middle-aged, working female
Married, two children
Live-in 80 year-old mother showing signs of COPD and heart disease

• Hospice referred by the family physician
• Hospice Admission Team meets with the family regarding the mother’s condition and
  gently works with the patient and family to set up all paperwork and details of plan of care.
  • Upon admission to Hospice, the Interdisciplinary Team meets to design a plan of care
  • The Hospice Physician and Registered Nurse immediately arrange for a hospital bed, oxygen services and physical therapy. They determine pain management strategies and coordinate with the attending physician
  • Hospice Social Workers start the conversation with patient and family on methods to make the remaining days the best possible. Advance Directives are discussed and filled out.
  • The Hospice Chaplain visits to offer spiritual assistance for the family and make contact with the mother’s parish.
  • Family Care Givers or Volunteers do the grocery shopping, fix a broken gate in the yard, sit and read the sports pages to the Red Sox-loving grandmother. Their gift of time allows the daughter “to be a daughter” and enjoy her mother in her final days.
  • In anticipation of the death, the exhausted daughter and husband work with the Social Workers at Hospice of Central New York to determine how to balance their family life and their work life. They also seek guidance on how to speak with their children about the loss of their dear grandparent.