General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: What to expect from hospice? [View all]arthritisR_US
(7,812 posts)in hospice for the last 6 weeks of his life. The hospice staff were wonderful and the facility, that the Social Worker from the palliative home care team chose for him, was as close to our home environment as one could get. Walking for him was very difficult so she picked his room as the one closest to the outdoor patio given he loved to enjoy the fresh air and have his fag, 10 steps and he was there. The outdoor furniture, flowers and shrubbery were almost identical to what we have at home in the front where he always relaxed and soaked in the rays. His room at the hospice was more like a tiny apartment.
His biggest fear before going in was that it would be like being in the hospital. He had had too many hospital stays in his lasts months and he hated all of them. Some hospitals had been better than others but those distinctions are in degree not in kind. Gone was the clinical and sterile atmosphere of the hospital, gone were the horrible hospital "meals" he could once again enjoy home cooking! The staff attention was constant and he was no longer having to wait for pain meds.
The entire focus of hospice care is for patient comfort. Address the pain as well as offer any emotional/spiritual support as patients need or want. There are no visiting hours, visiting is 24/7. They brought us a cot into his room for our last three weeks (as we requested) so we stayed there with him non stop. We rearranged his room a bit, no problem, whatever made him happy. We brought in personal items of his to decorate his room and his favourite comforter which made him squeal in glee like a small child
The doctors, the staff, everyone was absolutely wonderful.
My heart and my love go out to you mate. I hope this helps you and you will be in my thoughts always