Dying With Love Through Hospice Essay Research

Dying With Love Through Hospice Essay, Research Paper

Dying With Love through Hospice

There are many things in our society we do not talk about. One of them is death. Each life is like a candle. There is a time to burn brightly and fully until the last moment. We need to learn the place for love, faith, hope and joy in the dying process, until our life candle is no more.

There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only memory. Thorton Wilder

Generally considered a program or philosophy or program of care than a place, Hospice is a unique blend of services that address the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the terminally ill person and his or her family. Hospice care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of professionals and volunteers, guided by the goal of an individual care plan. Hospice care emphasizes palliative medicine and supportive services rather than cure oriented therapies and interventions. In Hospice care, the management of pain and symptoms is an appropriate clinical goal and one of its cornerstones. Services are usually provided in a patient s home and in such alternative residences as nursing homes, hospice residential facilities, and other congregate living facilities.

The National Hospice Organization defines palliative as treatment that enhances comfort and improves the quality of the patient s life. No specific therapy is excluded from consideration. The test of palliative treatment in Hospice care lies in the agreement by the patient, the physician, and the Hospice team that the expected outcome is relief from distressing symptoms, easing of pain, and enhancement of quality of life. The decision to intervene with an active palliative treatment is based on the treatments ability to meet the stated goals rather than it s effect on the underlying disease. Each patients needs must continue to be assessed and all treatment options explored and evaluated in the context of the patients values and symptoms. 1

The Latin word hospis, meaning host (and guest) forms the root for the words hospitality, hospital, hotel, and hospice. It is possible to trace the concept of Hospice care back to fourth century Rome, when it was reported that a woman named Fabiola used her own wealth and personal effort to care for the sick and dying. Later, the Catholic Church continued the concept through the Middle Ages by offering a place of refuge to the poor and sick, as well as to travelers returning from the battles of the Crusades. These hospices were established to care for ill or weary travelers, and most certainly cared for the dying. 2

The renaissance of Hospice is due largely to the efforts of the English advocate Dr. Cicely Saunders. Her life story itself illustrates how caring for the dying can completely transform ones life and give it new meaning and direction. She began her work with the dying in the 1940 s as a registered nurse and social worker. Through her experiences she strived for a dream first discussed with one of her patients: they both envisioned a restful place where the dying could spend their final days or weeks. Over a period of 19 years Saunders managed to earn a medical degree, undertook extensive research in pain management raised money and eventually built a genuine Hospice in London, England. St. Christopher s Hospice opened in 1967, and continues to this day to provide

care. 3

Another woman who had a great impact on the way we view Hospice in the United States is the psychiatrist Elisabeth-Kubler-Ross. Her book on Death and Dying , published in 1969, opened the eyes of the world to the emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs of the dying. From her experiences with dying patients, she has built a legacy of teaching and writings about the stages of death and dying and believing in life after death.

Dr. Kubler-Ross has stated, My goal has been, and still is, to educate health care professionals as well as clergy to become more familiar with the needs, concerns, fears, and anxiety s of the individual and their families who face the end of their lives. Both Dr. Saunders and Dr. Kubler Ross have responded with extra-ordinary care and effort of devotion and commitment to create ways of attending to the suffering of those who are dying. The focus then and now of Hospice is to create a loving environment to cherish, refresh, and honor the dying ones.

The Federal Governments Medicare Hospice Benefit Program of 1984 is a primary example of how we have drawn on Dr. Saunders work to try to improve our own National Health Care system. The Federally funded program, providing a standard of Hospice care for anyone eligible for Social Security Medicare, has influenced and accelerated the development of Hospice in our country during the last decade. It has opened many eyes to the importance of Hospice care; the administration of the benefit has caused some private insurance providers to follow in developing comparable programs for those under 65 years of age. As a result, Hospice is widely available today. Significantly, the benefit provides assistance to those wishing to die at home.

Entrance into the Hospice program requires a physician referral, which can come about in several ways. The referral may be initiated by a physician who finds that at some point in the patients treatment all curative m