Hospice and the Holidays

As we all prepare for this special holiday season I thought I would take a moment to reflect on common family decisions related to hospice and the holidays.

Should I put my parent on hospice during the holidays?

While it’s always challenging to discuss end of life care with a parent during the holidays as it can be even more emotionally loaded. But when you peel the question back it comes down to what does your loved one want this holiday? In most cases, when asked, patients and families want their loved one to be home for the holidays surrounded by the things they love and the people they love. If this is your goal then there is no better way to be home for the holidays than by going home on hospice where the patient and family can receive the support from the hospice nurse, aide, chaplain, social worker, volunteer and doctor that they deserve.

Should I wait until the New Year to have the hospice talk?

In my fifteen years as a healthcare professional I have never seen a clinical issue get better by ignoring the issue or delaying care. The challenge is to simply ask yourself what do you want more? To kick the can on having a difficult conversation about hospice care or to have your loved one receive the care they deserve and be surrounded with the loving support of the hospice care team? Ask anyone who has experienced hospice and they will most certainly tell you that they wish they would have enjoyed hospice care for longer. Let me encourage you to not withhold care but instead to embrace the support available to you.

Why are the holidays the perfect time to discuss end-of-life care with your family?

Some of the top reasons you should talk about end of life care within your family include:

The family is gathered and available to have the hospice discussion led by an experienced hospice liaison.

Take advantage of this time of gathering to help answer everyone’s questions, and get on the same page as to the wishes of the loved one to relieve family members of the burden of care so adult children can be children again instead of caregivers and spouses can be spouses instead of caregivers. These are special moments that become more special when care is provided by hospice and families can resume their traditional roles.

Time doesn’t stop for the holidays.

If your loved one is experiencing a change in condition you can’t push back the hands of time. So let me encourage you to embrace the time you have by accepting the loving support of your local hospice team so you can get the most out of the time you have remaining.

So if you are facing a family member in decline please consider taking a hold of the outstretched hand of support, love and assistance that is being held out to you from your local hospice. I have no doubt that you will enjoy a much merrier holiday season when you do.

Season’s Greetings – Kindful Health