Category: Hospice

Article pertaining to Hospice to help the patient, caregivers, facility staff members, and hospice care team members prepare the patient for a “good death.”

Empowering Caregivers: Effective Communication with Healthcare Providers

Discover how to use the CUS tool and Caring Feedback Model to advocate for your loved one's health. This guide empowers caregivers to communicate effectively with healthcare providers, ensuring their concerns are heard and addressed.

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Comprehensive Approaches to Managing Hallucinations in Dementia Patients

Explore comprehensive approaches to managing hallucinations in loved ones with dementia. This article covers pharmacological methods, focusing on Seroquel and non-drug strategies such as Naomi Feil's validation therapy. Learn how to validate feelings, de-escalate fear, and improve the quality of life for those experiencing cognitive impairment.

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End of Life Wound Care

End-of-life wound care is crucial for patient comfort and dignity. This guide covers practical tips for preventing infection, managing symptoms, and supporting caregivers during this sensitive time. Learn how to make wound care a compassionate part of hospice and palliative care.

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How to Identify End-Stage Parkinson’s for Hospice Admission

Parkinson's disease stages of progression

Identifying end-stage Parkinson's for hospice admission can be challenging. This article explores key criteria, including decline in function, weight loss, swallowing difficulties, and mobility issues. Learn how hospice professionals assess patients and utilize guidelines to ensure appropriate and timely hospice care for those with advanced Parkinson's disease.

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Crisis Management at End-of-Life

Crisis At End Of Life Dying In Pain

Discover effective strategies for managing end-of-life crises in hospice care. Learn how to recognize signs of distress, implement calming techniques, and provide compassionate support to patients and families. This guide offers practical tips for hospice nurses and caregivers to navigate challenging situations with confidence and empathy.

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Understanding Palliative Sedation: A Comprehensive Guide for Hospice Care

This guide covers the essentials of palliative sedation for hospice patients, including ethical dilemmas, timing, recommended medications, and monitoring effectiveness, ensuring comfort during the end-of-life journey.

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Understanding Interstate Hospice Transfers: A Comprehensive Guide

Man In Wheenchair Being Helped Into Medical Transport

Navigating interstate hospice transfers can be complex. This guide explores the process, challenges, and considerations for patients and families. Learn about Medicare regulations, coordination between hospice agencies, and how to ensure continuity of care when moving across state lines during end-of-life care.

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How to Communicate Effectively with Healthcare Professionals as a Family Member of a Patient with a Terminal Illness

Laura Holding Her Moms Hand

Learn how to communicate effectively with healthcare professionals when caring for a loved one with a terminal illness. Improve communication, advocacy, and coping skills to ensure your loved one receives the best care possible.

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Hospice Care for the Terminally Ill: Beyond Vital Signs

Hospice care is a unique medical approach that prioritizes comfort and peace for the terminally ill rather than vital signs or curative treatments. It offers holistic support, addressing physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. This compassionate care improves the quality of life, dignity, and a peaceful end aligned with the patient's values.

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Bowel Management for the Terminally Ill: A Guide for Caregivers and Hospice Nurses

Managing bowel problems in terminally ill patients is crucial for their comfort and dignity. This guide offers practical tips for caregivers and hospice nurses to address constipation, diarrhea, bowel obstruction, and ascites, ensuring patients' better quality of life.

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A Comprehensive Guide to Diagnosing Dementia and Providing Compassionate Care

A female doctor with their patient

Dementia is a complex condition affecting millions worldwide. Diagnosing dementia requires the expertise of medical professionals specializing in cognitive disorders. By guiding families and caregivers through the diagnostic process, you can empower them. In this article, we'll explore the steps to find the right specialist for a dementia diagnosis and how families can prepare for the crucial doctor visit.

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The Importance of a Formal Diagnosis for Dementia: A Comprehensive Guide

Differential Diagnosis for Dementia

Getting a formal diagnosis of dementia is essential for understanding the condition, accessing appropriate treatments and support services, and ensuring the best possible care. This comprehensive guide explores the importance of a specific diagnosis in predicting patient needs for comfort and quality of life, as different types of dementia require distinct care approaches. Avoid the risks of a generic diagnosis and empower yourself with knowledge.

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Strategies to Help Dementia Patients Use CPAP Overnight: A Caregiver’s Guide

Caregivers can find it challenging to ensure dementia patients wear their CPAPs overnight. This article offers practical tips and strategies to help caregivers ensure comfortable and uninterrupted CPAP use for their loved ones.

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Compelling Hospice Nursing Narratives: Ensuring Continued Eligibility and Comprehensive Care

This guide covers how to write effective hospice nursing narratives, key documentation areas, and the importance of detailed and negative-based wording to support continued hospice eligibility.

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Kennedy Ulcers: Understanding, Identification, Care, and Significance in the End-of-Life

Kennedy ulcers are skin lesions that can develop in individuals nearing the end of life. This guide explores their appearance, causes, diagnosis, and treatment. It offers insights into identifying Kennedy ulcers and providing comfort through pain relief, hygiene, and repositioning. Additionally, it addresses the emotional impact and coping strategies for caregivers and loved ones.

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Understanding Self-Soothing Sounds During the End-of-Life

Daughter Kissing Her Dying Mothers Forehead

The journey towards the end of life can be a challenging and emotional time, both for the individual facing the end of their life and for their caregivers and family members. One aspect of this journey that may be unfamiliar to many is the presence of self-soothing sounds made by the patient during the transition and actively dying phase. These sounds can be puzzling and sometimes unsettling for caregivers and family members who have never witnessed them. This article will explore self-soothing sounds, why they occur, and how caregivers and family members can distinguish between self-soothing sounds and signs of discomfort.

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Understanding the Common Journey Towards End-of-Life

Holding The Hands Of A Dying Person

Caring for a terminally ill loved one can be challenging and emotional. As an experienced hospice nurse case manager, you understand the importance of providing compassionate care and support to loved ones and their families. In this educational article, we will explore the common journey that terminally ill loved ones and their caregivers face as they approach the end of life. We will summarize this journey's various aspects, offering guidance and separating fact from fiction.

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Hospice Nursing ADPIE

As a hospice nurse, you are vital in providing compassionate care to terminally ill patients and their families. To ensure the best possible outcomes, you rely on a systematic approach known as ADPIE: Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. This process guides you in delivering holistic and individualized care, addressing not only the physical needs of patients but also their emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial well-being.

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Admission Nurse: Essential Questions to Ask During the Hospice Admission Visit

Some Indicators For Hospice Eligibility

As a hospice admission nurse, asking the right questions is crucial for assessing patients' eligibility and providing compassionate care. This article explores critical questions to understand the patient's condition, decline timeline, hospitalizations, functional abilities, cognitive status, and comorbidities. By gathering this information, nurses can support informed decisions, tailor interventions, and ensure a "good death" for patients and families.

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Assessing Patients on the FAST Scale: A Guide for Nurses

As a nurse who has cared for many terminally ill individuals with Alzheimer's disease over the years, I understand the importance of accurately assessing their functional decline using the Functional Assessment Staging Tool (FAST). The FAST scale provides valuable information about the progression of Alzheimer's disease and helps guide appropriate care planning for patients and their families. In this guide, I will walk you through the process of assessing patients on the FAST scale, starting from stage 1 and discussing when to stop reading the scale for determination. I will also provide three examples of patients at various stages of the FAST scale.

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Understanding UTIs in Dementia Patients: A Guide for Caregivers

Urinary Tract Infections

This comprehensive guide helps caregivers understand why urinary tract infections (UTIs) are prevalent in dementia patients. It provides practical advice on prevention, early detection, and effective treatment strategies. Empower yourself with the knowledge to provide the best care for your loved ones.

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