Hospice Nursing.

People ask me frequently how I can do Hospice.  "But isn't it so sad?!"  

And really, it's not.   

It's sad for the family.  And it's hard to see them go.   But, for the patient, it's such a blessing.  

I know that sounds a little morbid, but Hospice is such a different way of viewing healthcare, life, living and goals.  

My favorite part of Hospice is when I tell a patient they no longer have to go through aggressive treatment.   No more chemotherapy, no more IV sticks, no more X-Rays, no more hospital visits, no more diet restrictions.     The face on the patient is magical, the relief is so pronounced and the hope is high.   

Suddenly, the patient is now in charge again. The patient gets to decide how they wish to spend their last days.  If they want ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they get it.   If they want to leave the hospital and go home to watch TV in their bed with those they love, the can. If they want to stop taking all of their medications because they hate the taste, they get to.  Its up to them. 

Hospice is about making the patient comfortable, in whatever way that may be.  

I once had a patient say they were "going home to LIVE" and I feel that explains Hospice so perfectly. It's about making the last days/weeks/months, the most enjoyable and most pleasant for the patient. 

So, when someone asks how I can do Hospice, it's because of that.   It's to make someone who has struggled with a terminal illness for far too long, completely and 100% comfortable.   

That's what I love about Hospice.   

And why I keep doing what I do.