I know that I had 2 patients on hospice at home, for 3 years. One with very unstable chronic bronchitis, another with unstable angina and heart disease. Each died, in the hospital, within a month after being “kicked off” hospice.
The hospice I know is one way of coordinating and funding care that includes nursing care and medications to relieve symptoms when disease is untreatable, and death is expected within 6 months.
I can’t help but believe that the symptom relief that came from the hospice nurses eased the breathing of the first and took stress off the heart of the second, and that’s why they lived so long. Without the hospice nurse checking in on them, each ended up in the hospital, possibly much later in the course of an attack than they would have if the nurse had been there. The high-tech and medication-intensive environment of the hospital most likely increased both the mental and physical stress.
I don't believe that is what I asked you. Do you know what I asked you? Remember, Terri had no such problems. Whats with the detour?