Ya know,
10 years ago, I was a huge fan of hospice. It was wonderful when many family members became terminally ill.
But one day, in my facility, I heard nurses grumbling about how our hospice wing was 'killing' people. These were good, caring, veteran RN's and I was stopped in my tracks! I learned then that often an elderly resident was put on hospice without a terminal dx. just a 'failure to thrive' dx or 'declining' in the chart.
Often, these folks were relatively alert, oriented...just becoming more difficult to care for--- feeding/eating often being a major 'problem'.
Then on day, the Dr. would prescribe Roxanol for 'pain' and they were out the door in days. Our joke became "If you are lying in a hospital, and hear they are putting you on Roxanol, LEAVE!"
That was years ago. Terri brought a lot of memories back.
Anyhow, I just started consulting in another LTCF, and just this week, I was reviewing a chart and yep...
She is "declining", she is old, fragile and not eating well, but no terminal dx. And I'll be darned...she started on Roxanol that morning because she 'ached'. When I go back next week, I don't expect to see her.
I actually get physically ill on the "old people are evil" or "Gimmee geezers" threads because that mindset makes the above perfectly OK. These are our future caregivers. No amount of LTC insurance will make them care or see your life as having value....cuz it doesn't have value now.
I used to have very positive feelings about hospice as well. I learned.
My ex-husband's grandmother was put in hospice after suffering for years (she was supposed to die "any month now" for over 10 years) from emphezema. She was apparently alert and seemed ok (or no worse than she had) the day before she died (within a week of going to hospice). We were due to visit her later the day she passed away. Now, this has me wondering if she wasn't "helped along."
Post #9 scared me. I think that might have happened to my ex-husband's father.
If I had to work in such a depressing atmosphere, The FBI would have my interview on record by the weekend.
Ok, this is a wakeup call.
Do we all want to worry all through our 70's, 80's, 90's that any and all are trying to kill us?
This goes for the young ones too because the society they create will provide that same creation or worse for their 70's, 80's. (Don't think they will make it to the 90's).