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Current Events and Commentary from One Hospice Nurse's Perspective
Pets Borrowed From the Creator
Today as I watched my 15-year-old American White Shepherd struggle to get to her feet and get outside, the sinking feeling started in my stomach. It won't be much longer. With family members and fellow humans, there is always the promise of God that we will see the person again in heaven. There isn't anything mentioning heavenly dogs in the bible. That leaves me with an even deeper sadness that my dog will just no longer be. I had a hospice patient once who was in his final hours. Suddenly he sat up and it was obvious he was seeing something. He smiled and his face filled with peace and he said "Lady!". His wife, through her tears, told me that Lady was a family dog that had died many years ago. Why did he see her? I guess this is something I will have to ask my Lord when I see him.You're Still Up? The mystery of insomnia.
Still Awake? Insomnia is a common problem for people around the world. It seems as though there are more people complaining that they can't sleep than people disabled by fatigue. We all hear studies that tell us we should have 8-ish hours of sleep. We all know what our optimum amount of sleep is. If you're one of the lucky ones, be thankful. Most of the mysteries of insomnia are unsolved.Sleeping aids or herbals like melatonin are helpful, but only for the short term because our bodies adjust to their effect.
Claims to answers are everywhere, but solid scientific data about insomnia is still sparse at best.
The good news? There still may be an answer. In the meantime, speak with your doctor about rotating sleeping aids if you use them.
Patients on Hospice: Who Pays Room and Board?
This information can be found on Medicare's website, but since it can be wordy I am going to attempt to explain in an easier way.At least 30% of the families of hospice patients I have worked with over the past several years have asked me about custodial care for their parent. They want to know who pays, and often they have been led to believe that once their family member is on hospice that the hospice will take care of the 24 hour custodial care of that patient.
Sadly, the Medicare hospice benefit does not provide custodial care. Families will often say that their uncle, aunt, etc died in a hospice. It is a common misconception that a hospice is a place. In around 1065, the origins of the word hospice can be found as a place for patients to receive comfort measure in their final days Wikipedia - Hospice. When patients die 'in' a hospice today (in the US anyway), it means that they were receiving one of two different exceptions to the routine level of care most hospice patients receive. The levels of care not provided in the home setting are General Inpatient Care (GIP) and Respite Care. Respite Care is only for five days. General Inpatient Care is only used when the patient has symptoms that cannot be controlled in the home with medications.
I am not sure if I would even want to see Medicare pay for custodial care. If that were to happen today, our system would be drained within months.
Still, my heart would grieve whenever I had to explain to families that hospice is not a place.
Comments:
| --"Comment by: test | @ 07:30:16 pm on February 3, 2012. |
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| --"Comment by: alex | @ 11:51:24 am on February 1, 2012. |
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| What is this blog about? Speaking Sarah is a simple blog designed to point those in need, or with mental or physical conditions to resources that are otherwise difficult to locate. Since 1997 we have been linking patients to the services and support that they need. © 2011 Sarah Skiba All Rights Reserved |