Hospice Reflective Report

The doctors were pretty sure that Pierre had less than 6 months to live, so he fell well within the guidelines for hospice coverage. Should hospice coverage be limited to those with 6 months or less to live, or should other be covered? 6 months is a random figure and I think that the covering other could help families deal with hospice care a little better; it would give them a better understanding of what hospice-type services is entailed. It also could be too expensive for covering others and how can you know for sure if 6 months is suitable.

The essence of any organization is their ability to connect the work that they are doing to their potential clients and donors. The multitude of organizations that are doing similar work, going after the same base of individuals make it necessary for individuals to be able to decipher between what makes particular organizations stand out. Organizations are able to do this through their storytelling ability. Being able to pull at the heartstrings, emotions and donor pockets is essential for organizations that try to make it in the world of non-profit fundraising.

I found Homestead Hospice mission statement which is "We will continuously raise the bar on the quality of hospice care throughout the industry." Homestead hospice also uses a butterfly as a symbol for the agency. The butterfly is a powerful symbol of transformation. It takes a tremendous amount of hard work and courage to emerge from its restraining cocoon. The life of a butterfly is as magical as the life cycle of a human being. Our senior family members spent their lives contributing to society. Now, it is our duty to ensure they live the rest of their life in comfort. I feel that the mission statement and their symbolic symbol represents them perfectly. I have actually been with a social worker once and the social worker was telling

Hospice crusade in the United States has advanced over the past 25 years. The focus of hospice is comprehensive physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual therapy in people, who are terminally ill and their families. Hospice providers are helping the quality of life by whenever they can, instead of hospitals, protecting patients treated at home from the burden and provide intervention. Hospice nurses are mainly in accordance with the 1983 Medicare Benefits Act, guidelines of the federal program that allows the patient to die in their own home with family and friends at their next offer treatment (Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow, n.d).

In the hospice rotation of my clinical experience, I had the opportunity to observe the care for a ninety-seven year old female patient whose intitials were BA. BA has many medical diagnoses, but the most visible ones during my time there were: systolic and diastolic heart failure, stage four chronic kidney disease, primary osteoarthritis, and malignant neoplasm of skin. At the time of the visit, there were no family present however, I did notice many pictures of family members in her room.

I would like to be a hospice nurse practitioner in the future. I worked in the cancer center for two years when I was in Taiwan. Most of our patients were underline with solid cancer which included Nasopharynx cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, pancreas cancer, colon cancer and liver cancer. The characteristics of solid cancer illness are long-term progression which means their five-year survival rate usually higher than hematology patients. A lot of patients in our nurse station kept in-and-out for more than two years, therefor, we build deep and strong relationship with them. As a result, we not only concerned about patients’ health condition, also we pay more attention on their quality of life. However, being a hospice nurse need professional knowledge background, also they need counseling skills to help patients, family members and caregivers to deal with sorrow and feeling of lost. To be a professional hospice nurse practitioner, there are several counseling skills are very crucial.

Hospice care is a model of care that focuses on relieving symptoms and supporting patients with a life expectancy of six months or less (Altshuler, 2013). For most nurses, caring for a dying elder (individual aged 65 years and above) is a discrete, time-limited experience that begins with first contact, often in a hospital, emergency room, or long term care facility, and ends with the death itself (Phillips & Reed, 2008).

This section examines the literature relevant to the efficacy of supervision in hospice professional as it relates to job burnout among them. This question is an important one because hospice professionals cope with loss on their job frequently. An unique challenge that is faced by hospice professionals is that every patient they care for will die and this leaves the grieving family to be supported. The care that hospice professionals provide requires them to become an intimate part of the patients live. The need for effective supervisions is highly needed in hospice professionals and is crucial in aiding them to serve patients and families in challenging times. This section will highlight research that documents severity

Hospice is compassionate care provided to patients facing terminal illness or illness for which there is no cure. These patients are diagnosed with an illness from which they will never recover and usually have a life prognosis of six months or less (Hospice Foundation of America, 2014). The goal of hospice care is improving quality of life and managing the symptoms of disease and the dying process. The care hospice offers is focused on pain management and emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and family (National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 2012). Hospice care can be provided in many different settings, often the patient’s own home. Hospice care can also be provided in hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities and free-standing hospice centers and is available to patients of all ages (NHPCO, 2012). A patient receiving care in a hospice program has a team of healthcare individuals that can consist of the patients own physician, nurses, home health aides, clergy, social workers, and speech and physical therapists (NHPCO, 2012). Usually, a care plan is developed by the hospice team and care of the patient is provided by family members with the support of the hospice staff (NHPCO, 2012). Nurses make regular visits to the patient and family and are on call 24/7. Once enrolled in a hospice program hospice covers everything that will be needed to care for you, from medications to manage pain to

The ideology in the field in which I work that I oppose is that of placing sick patients in hospice and withdrawing all their medical resources. Many patients are placed in hospice because they are at a certain stage in which they are medically able to be cured, being that there is nothing else medically that can be done for them. Being on hospice care includes an end to iv-line treatment and medication. This hastens the patients meeting with death as they are being deprived of the medical assistance in which played a tremendous role in the stability of their health.

For as long as I could remember, I have seen my father rushing to the hospital in a white coat, answering pagers in the middle of important family conversations and attending night calls even in the most terrible weather. I had always wondered; what could be so important that it belittles every other responsibility in his life. It was only after many years of anguish and protests that it finally made sense to me. This defining moment of realization occurred when I first met a patient in his office. I saw how the gratitude in the patient’s eyes can provide a sense of fulfillment that triumphs all other feelings in the universe. It was human life that was most important. Being a doctor does not make you a mere healer but also gives you the responsibility of a caregiver. I had never felt more proud of my father and that was the day I felt the urge to relive this feeling many times over. It was there in that moment that I decided to pursue a career in medicine.

Long-term care is a result of people having terminal conditions, disabilities, illnesses, injuries, or being elderly. The purpose of long-term care is to provide services to people and to aid people at a time in their lives when they cannot depend on themselves to maintain daily activities. There are many variations of long-term care available – such as home care, adult day care, and independent and assisted living, personal care facilities, nursing homes, and hospice.

I first heard about hospice from a co-worker a few years ago when that co-worker was preparing to check her mother in hospice and she was in her forties. As she discussed with me her mother had a drug addiction problem her entire life. At that time I had never heard about hospice and I became interested in learning more about it. “Hospice is a special concept of care designed to provide comfort and support to patients and their families. Patients are referred to hospice when life expectancy is approximately six months or less. Hospice care can continue longer than six months if

Many patients who receive hospice care expect to die soon. But research shows that many people now survive hospices. It’s not uncommon for patients in hospice care to get better. Miracles can and do happen. Entering hospice care no longer means that your life expectancy is short. There is life after hospice.

Palliative care is special medical care for people with sever end of life diseases. It provides relief for families and patients who are suffering from these diseases and helps them improve their quality of life.