It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
so they let nature take it's course. It was time, and to force him to continue to live under those restrictive circumstances (his body) was not fair.
originally posted by: CharlieAtTheGap
I lost both my parents last year. Cause of death, morphine overdose by hospice.
My Mom was begging for water. If it weren't for us, she never would have got any. How does a nurse live with themselves, refusing water to a begging patient?
Dad had congestive heart failure, so they promised morphine would make him breathe easier. It depressed his breathing, and he died. He wasn't in any pain. He didn't need morphine. Yet they brought it to him like clockwork.
You don't need hospice to allow people to die and with dignity and pain-free. Hospices are solely used to hasten the death process by morphine overdose and dehydration.
This is critical time that could alleviate certain kinds of strokes or prevent worse ones. She is on a non resuscitate order as well.
They still won't let her die.
Shes miserable too some times, saying she wants to die. But they say thats depression.
The staff was wonderful but I have and do wonder if that was a function of having three generations of women constantly on watch,
originally posted by: ladyinwaiting
This is one of the reasons I wanted to have this conversation. People send their relatives to Hospice, and they might not be aware of these kinds of events. I actually had to study what Hospice is in a course at a University, but the gravity, the reality of it didn't hit me until I had someone there.
Although all the ones I've experienced or read about give morphine injections much more frequently than the admit, and while ALL do not withhold fluids, most of them do. If anybody can explain why to me, I would like to know, other than to hasten death.
We need to be aware of this before we agree to go or let our loved ones go. Of course, we have to look at the other side as well, and try to make the best decision.
I am seeing here is that a lot of people are painting Hospice in a very, very broad brush stroke as if it's run by some heinous central hierarchy when that simply isn't the case
Each state has their own laws and DOH regulations, each program runs a little differently and they are all governed by their own board of directors made up of Physicians, RN's, Nurse Practitioners etc...and the physicians who work for the Hospice programs all have their own approaches so I find it a little unfair to see such drastically over generalized depictions of varying hospice programs as if they are all operating under the exact same guidelines. It would be equally unfair for me to assert that everyone is wrong or bonkers because their own experiences with Hospice are so drastically different than what I have seen first as well as second hand. Personally, I would recommend Hospice in a heartbeat over any sort of long term inpatient program at a hospital.
My wife is an RN-MSN and a hospice case manager and the types of things I have been reading about would result in RN's losing their license and state medical boards coming after the physicians in charge with undue wrath so I honestly can not fathom how some of these things are occurring at all let alone continuing if that is the case. Where she works, they have to have a diagnosis that will result in expiration and they aren't admitting anyone just to kill them off and save medicaid/medicare a dime
There were even a couple of recent cases who were actually removed from Hospice and referred back to their GP because their terminal illnesses simply were not progressing and they were getting better
Do you have any citations for this occurring? I don't doubt that shady things happen sometimes, I just have trouble believing it's such a regular occurrence
. Where we live, it is illegal to withhold fluids from a patient and the entire team would be suspended and brought before a review board. As for morphine injections, I can't really comment on that because here, there are no injections given therefore it is the patient or their family or assigned caregiver who is responsible for administering morphine
Anything occurring as you describe, with IV or IM injections being given off schedule is a huge no no and rather illegal and almost always a violation of written orders by the Physician.
originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: ladyinwaiting
Yes thank you, I am aware of all that. You sound like the doctors…
My mom is close to 80. She is an adult child, always miserable and demanding anyway. Now with the stroke, its effects and the multi visits to doctors, hospitals and all for tests, procedures, recovery, meds, more tests, procedures, endless problem for someone with a narrow comfort zone.
Don't fret, I am good at a taking care of her, am aware of all the risks and requirements for her. I can tell you are educated about it too. Thanks for the advice, it mirrors what we are going through.
Been a hella adventure for the last 5 months.
...... the use of psychedelics to help people come to terms with death. I think it's a great idea and has had great results with terminology ill patients. It helps them lose fear over their impending death. It's a wonderful idea, but with government controls over such drugs, it's considered illegal.
Taking care of an aging parent is totally exhausting. Yeah, I've been there. Twice. As the only 'daughter' it fell on me to be the 'primary care provider". I swear, I've never been so tired as I was when I was going through all that. Exhausted and in a weird daze of some sort. They didn't go to hospice though. They both died in ICU at the hospital -- five years apart.