Going to Hospice...it just breaks my heart. :-(
By LCecelia
@LCecelia (1124)
United States
August 28, 2007 6:49pm CST
I work in a long term acute care hospital. And most of the times the patients who come here are very ill. I wouldn't say that most of them don't leave here standing...for lack of a more appropriate term, but we do loose a few. :-(
What really breaks my heart is when they leave here to go to a Hospice facility. If you don't know what that is, that is where patients are released to when medicine has failed them. That is what just happened. A patient was released from here a little while ago on his way to a Hospice facility. :-(
He looked so amall and frail on the stretcher. I just wanted to cry.
Deep breath...so how would you feel if you were told by the doctors that someone close to you was not going to make it?
Good news...while I was writing this another patient was discharged, this time he was going home!! He had only been here for 4 days. Those are my FAVORITE discharges!!!!!
3 people like this
4 responses
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
29 Aug 07
Well, I don't have the experience of a doctor telling me about a loved one. I have heard from the loved one that they were going to die. My husband's grandfather told me and it felt like someone knocked the wind out of me.
I don't think I could do your job. I get attached to people and it hurts when something happens to them. Glad to hear that a patient went home on his own accord. May you have many more of them.
1 person likes this
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
29 Aug 07
Yes thank you. I'm at the receptionist desk and I am bowled over when the patients are leaving on their accord or otherwise either they would or the family members would stop by to thank me. It still surprises me when they do as I don't see that I'm helping them in any way.
1 person likes this
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
30 Aug 07
Your welcome. You do help them. You make there check in's and out's as easy as possible. I mean all it takes is a file missing or mixed up information and checking out can take a 5 minute check out to be up to an hour. They could also be thanking you because your the first person they see and the last.
@kelly60 (4547)
• United States
29 Aug 07
I have not been in this situation, although I know others who have. I have a couple of friends who have hospice come into their homes. I don't think that I could do your job because it is too hard for me not to become attached to these people. I have been doing volunteer fundraising work for Hospice of Michigan for the past few years, although I don't think that I could work with the patients because I would get attached to them too easily. I am glad that your patient got to go home.
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
29 Aug 07
Do you ever notice that some people have to endure one trial after another? The Bible says that the Lord doesn't give us more than we can handle. And all I can say to that is, I'm glad God has that kind of confidence in us because I don't know if I could go through some of the things I've seen others having to go through.
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
29 Aug 07
Thank you but I'm not a nurse, I'm the night time receptionist but I do sometimes get to know the families and sometimes the patients too if they are able to get around either on their own or with the help of family members when they come to visit.
Until 2 years ago I didn't know about Hospice care. So now when I hear that a patient was released to either in patient or in home Hospice it hurts so much, again especially if I've gotten to know the patient and their family.
I am reminded of a young man (in his late 30s) whose Dad was a patient at the hospital. His Dad had taken a turn for the worst and he just stopped by my desk one day and talked and talked. And as long as his Dad hung on he would stop by in between visits. He tried to be tough. He didn't want to cry but in the end I think I convinced him that it didn't make him any less of a man if he did cry. It finally became too much for him and he DID finally cry.
@ma_belle (1357)
• United States
29 Aug 07
I actually had to endure news like that last summer. I remember finding out that my grandfather only had a month to live and that he was going to be transfered to hospice care. By the time the transfer was going to go through he was to frail to be moved to the actual hospice location, so they did hospice care at the hospital. It is actually one of the hardest things I've had to hear. But on a positive note, hospice workers and nurses are the sweetest and the kindest people ever.
@andyliuzn (1029)
• Guangzhou, China
2 Sep 07
Hi Cecelia,
What I would like to say is just 'Thank you!' Thank you for the time spending to take care of the patience. And I always regard the doctors as the Angles!
Andy
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
4 Sep 07
Andy,
Thank you, but I'm not a nurse or doctor, I'm the receptionist, however I do see the majority of the patients as they come of go. And if they are able to get around either in a wheelchair or walking, I sometimes get to know them a little bit.
And I agree, some of the doctors AND the nurses ARE Angels.
