Choosing hospice care can be a very difficult decision, whether it’s for yourself or someone you are about. It’s important to respect those choices.  Most people who decide to utilize hospice care have experienced a serious illness.  Sometimes there’s been a catastrophic health event that limits someone’s life expectancy.  It’s easy to judge someone else’s choices from an outsider perspective.  Even hospice and end of life professionals criticize the choice not to accept hospice care when the referral is made by the healthcare community.  It’s important to remember that we might not have all the information about a person’s illness or disease trajectory.  People usually do a lot of living before they arrive in a situation where hospice is appropriate.  Oftentimes there’s a desire to continue treatment to sustain hope, an unwillingness to let go of even the smallest chance of improvement.  The need to respect a person’s end of life wishes has to be stronger than guilt or grief.  So be supportive of someone’s decision to embrace hospice, or to delay it.  The decision is what the patient says it is. 

Don’t miss the amazing Thresholds Conference sponsored by Hospice of Southern Maine on Tues., May 10 1:00pm - 3:30pm EST featuring Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love.  All virtual over Zoom, and only $35! Get your tickets by clicking here. Connect with Hospice of Southern Maine at https://www.hospiceofsouthernmaine.org/. Register for your place at the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association conference coming up June 6-10 by visiting calhospice.org!  Be sure to tell them you heard about it on The Heart of Hospice podcast. Looking for a speaker for your event or conference?  Send an email to helen@theheartofhospice.com or to jerry@theheartofhospice.com.  We’d love to partner with you! Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice here: https://theheartofhospice.libsyn.com/ Find more information about hospice philosophy, end of life care, and self care for both personal and professional caregivers here.  Send your questions and comments to host@theheartofhospice.com.  We’d love to hear from you!