Penny Smith

The families more usually than the patients because, well, for one thing, patients always come on to hospice way too late. The length of stay is much shorter than we would like for it to be. Most people die in less than six months.

And we do have those that stay longer on hospice, usually dementia patients who we don't get to know as well because they are profoundly demented by the time they qualify for hospice. So We interact with the families a lot, especially when the patient becomes unresponsive or they're in that transitioning period where we're not able to communicate with them as much.

And we do have those that stay longer on hospice, usually dementia patients who we don't get to know as well because they are profoundly demented by the time they qualify for hospice. So We interact with the families a lot, especially when the patient becomes unresponsive or they're in that transitioning period where we're not able to communicate with them as much.

And we do have those that stay longer on hospice, usually dementia patients who we don't get to know as well because they are profoundly demented by the time they qualify for hospice. So We interact with the families a lot, especially when the patient becomes unresponsive or they're in that transitioning period where we're not able to communicate with them as much.

And so we're really spending more time with the families. So it's easier to form a stronger bond with the family than with the patient. But again, at the end of the day, we're there to do a job. So once the job is over and the person dies, then we are no longer seeing the family. That's just how it works in all areas of healthcare.

And so we're really spending more time with the families. So it's easier to form a stronger bond with the family than with the patient. But again, at the end of the day, we're there to do a job. So once the job is over and the person dies, then we are no longer seeing the family. That's just how it works in all areas of healthcare.

And so we're really spending more time with the families. So it's easier to form a stronger bond with the family than with the patient. But again, at the end of the day, we're there to do a job. So once the job is over and the person dies, then we are no longer seeing the family. That's just how it works in all areas of healthcare.

Once your disease is treated, you don't go out and have drinks with your oncology nurse, you know, because it's my job. It's what I do. That isn't to say that I didn't care about them, that I don't still think about lots of them. I still do. There are still a lot of family members that I think about and wonder about.

Once your disease is treated, you don't go out and have drinks with your oncology nurse, you know, because it's my job. It's what I do. That isn't to say that I didn't care about them, that I don't still think about lots of them. I still do. There are still a lot of family members that I think about and wonder about.

Once your disease is treated, you don't go out and have drinks with your oncology nurse, you know, because it's my job. It's what I do. That isn't to say that I didn't care about them, that I don't still think about lots of them. I still do. There are still a lot of family members that I think about and wonder about.

But my agency and most agencies will not let you maintain a relationship with the family once the patient dies. It's not ethical to do that.

But my agency and most agencies will not let you maintain a relationship with the family once the patient dies. It's not ethical to do that.

But my agency and most agencies will not let you maintain a relationship with the family once the patient dies. It's not ethical to do that.

Yeah, I think cancer is probably one of the top. Medicare will publish the list of the top diagnoses, and I believe cancer is probably the top diagnosis for.

Yeah, I think cancer is probably one of the top. Medicare will publish the list of the top diagnoses, and I believe cancer is probably the top diagnosis for.

Yeah, I think cancer is probably one of the top. Medicare will publish the list of the top diagnoses, and I believe cancer is probably the top diagnosis for.

Heart disease, dementia. Yeah. ALS, you know, down the line. ALS, Huntington's, we see Huntington's, Correa, that's pretty awful. We used to have failure to thrive, which is just old people with a whole bunch of conditions that are all coming together. And then Medicare said, we can't use that anymore. And So then we had debility not otherwise specified and they said you can't use that anymore.

Heart disease, dementia. Yeah. ALS, you know, down the line. ALS, Huntington's, we see Huntington's, Correa, that's pretty awful. We used to have failure to thrive, which is just old people with a whole bunch of conditions that are all coming together. And then Medicare said, we can't use that anymore. And So then we had debility not otherwise specified and they said you can't use that anymore.

Heart disease, dementia. Yeah. ALS, you know, down the line. ALS, Huntington's, we see Huntington's, Correa, that's pretty awful. We used to have failure to thrive, which is just old people with a whole bunch of conditions that are all coming together. And then Medicare said, we can't use that anymore. And So then we had debility not otherwise specified and they said you can't use that anymore.

So the doctors are always trying to figure out like what is the terminal diagnosis for this person because you have to have one for them to qualify for hospice. So if it might be renal failure if they're diabetic and their kidneys fail.