HOSPICE NURSES

Hospice nurses perform many traditional nursing duties such as observing, assessing, and recording symptoms, and they work closely with physicians, administer medications, and provide emotional support. Hospice nurses have a particularly tough job because, from the outset, they know that the patient for whom they are caring is terminally ill. The medications that hospice nurses administer and the symptoms they record aren't aiding a patient in his or her recovery, but rather to make his or her remaining days as comfortable as possible. Most of the nurse's duties involve minimizing pain. Hospice care is what is known as comprehensive palliative medical care, i.e., treatment to reduce pain and other troubling symptoms as opposed to treatment for a cure.

At Homestead Hospice, we believe that terminally ill patients have the right to spend their last days in the comfort of their own homes, with their families. Hospice care provides professional medical care as well as supportive social, emotional, and spiritual services to accomplish this. The hospice nurse's duties fall somewhere in between all of these ideals, with emphasis on medical care. Because they essentially act as home-care nurses and spend several hours a day with their patients in their homes, they become emotional caretakers as well. The majority of hospice patients have cancer, but others suffer from AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, heart or lung disease, and other fatal conditions. Patients can be any age, race, or creed, and it can be especially trying on hospice nurses to attend patients who are as young, or younger, than they are. Hospice nurses coordinate the care of every hospice patient through an advising physician, provide direct patient care, evaluate the patients' conditions, and serve as the liaison between families and physicians. A hospice nurse may also work with a patient's social worker, home-care aide (who may assist with housework and provide hygienic care to a patient who is incapable of bathing and caring for him- or herself), and physical, occupational, or speech therapist.

Nurses lead our teams; they help coordinate the care by using a team approach. Our hospice nurses will come to your home to visit so that you do not have to go to the doctor's office. The nurse will call your doctor and discuss the visit as needed to keep him aware of how you are doing. As team leaders, your nurse will make every effort to insure that your symptoms are controlled and well managed. Our Nurses are also available for any question you or your loved ones may have during this difficult time.

For more information on nursing services at Homestead Hospice, call the Homestead Hospice Hotline at 877-355-4472.