“Sadly, in hospice and cancer centers every day people go off medication and are just given pain killers to comfort them as they pass.”
-—Well, speaking as a Hospice Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, and owner of a Hospice agency, yes, some people do elect to withhold medications because at the end of life routine Meds aren’t going to result in anything but more side effects. BUT, that decision is VERBALIZED by that patient, or via family member executing a Living Will. They are not ever, in ANY circumstance, not given adequate care and support if not verbalized by patient, or Living Will is in place. Don’t you dare try to equate Hospice Care with mercy killing, or what was done to Terri Schiavo
Thank you! Recently went through situation with Palliative care nurse practitioner telling me my step mom only had one year to live and I should put her in hospice, despite FACT no medical doctor caring for her had stated any such thing! I posted complaint on hospital blog and her supervisor was in my SM room the next day apologizing for this young woman’s actions. Also assured me that this so called young nurse had no place in denigrating the actions of my SM Doctor. The young woman told me that doctors are not as aware as she, they do not treat the whole person, but concentrate only on their specialty. Head of palliative care at the hospital assured me this nurse was removed from duty and mandated to attend further training.
It was really quite surreal listening to this nurse as she told me I needed to let my SM just suffer death from pneumonia or whatever and give her pain killers...I did ask her if she was the death squad for Obama....upset her...in between the two personal phone calls she took while telling me to kill off my step mom.