To: Happygal
If you call respite care a "benefit" of hospice, they did nothing for me and would not come to my house on Christmas Day, my husband died the next day and we had been under hospice for 10 months.
The previous poster is right, I was urged, pestered, bugged, to get my husband to wear a green plastic note on his wrist that said "DNR", in order that I would not panice taking care of him and call an ambulance. (read-money )spent. I refused many times, she finally gave up, but I could tell the pressure technique smilingly urged. In his suffering, he didn't need a green reminder to look at constantly of his upcoming death, and heaven forbid- we can't "waste" money on him?
That meant if he even was choking on a chicken bone or broke a bone, or fell,that they would not give him any help- something not even cancer related would apply.
A dear friend of mine worked for a home care many years.
One of her clients was terminal, when she was there doing her work, the terminal lady fell and broke her hip (very painful, and NOT related to the terminal need for hospice.
My FRIEND WAS VERBALLY attacked for calling the lady an ambulance!!! (read: money.)
16 posted on
12/24/2002 1:16:55 AM PST by
oreolady
To: oreolady
sorry that should say attacked by her hospice nurse.
I think the people who tout hospice just "obeyed" their philosophy, never bumped into a problem such as I have described, because I worked at a place with hundreds of people, heard many such events taking place.
It is a cost saving -based organization.
oreolady
17 posted on
12/24/2002 1:25:49 AM PST by
oreolady
To: oreolady
I'm sorry you feel so bitter.
Merry Christmas.
18 posted on
12/24/2002 3:25:10 AM PST by
Happygal
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