We Didn’t Know What Hospice Did…

Between parents, family members, or friends, statistically we all know someone who could potentially benefit from extra medical care in the home. Our goal is to make Hospice NOT a scary or dirty word.

Having been honored, and blessed, to have been invited to have educational conversations with over 500 families, feedback I consistently received was “We didn’t know that’s what hospice did."

The one thing I always asked patients, "What is it that you want?" They were always taken aback because nobody ever considered to ask that one question.

That one question always prompted an answer that opened the door to a conversation about their options for appropriate next steps. Maybe hospice is the right choice, maybe not, but at least they now understood their options for care. I call it being empathetically transparent.

Patients and families can’t make an informed decision if they don’t know and understand their options.