What is hospice care?

Question

Today was my first day back at school. We went to our home room and got ready to just go over the basic back to school speech. My teacher got to talking and just started saying stuff I really didn't understand. Stuff about how tomorrow isn't promised to us. Than she said that our 'MY' math teach was placed in hospice care about 2 days ago. That he didn't have much time and wasn't expected to live much longer. His organs had started to shut down and he was going to die. I was pretty much in shock for a few minutes and just kind of listened to her. Everybody went ahead and started the day like any other day. Even after our home room teacher told us the news. I thought about it all day long. When I got home I remembered what she said about him being placed in hospice care. I started to research it. I read for hours and I didn't understand what was happening to my teacher or what he was going through. I didn't expect to understand what he was going through but I found myself desperately needing to know everything about hospice care I could. I need some insight to this. If anybody has family or knows anything about being hospice care of just maybe working there it would be so helpful. I just want to be able to understand whats happening to him now.

Answer 1

He's dying. Hospice care is for people with a very limited amount of time left for whatever reason. It is around the clock care for the patient and for the family as well. They are making sure he is as comfortable as possible and his family is with him. There is grief counseling involved too.  

Answer 2

Hi Izzy,

Everyone has answered you correctly. I never worked on a Hospice Unit regularly but used to "float" to the unit fairly often when they needed another nurse. A hospice can be in a regular hospital or a center on its own. In a hospice, people are allowed to die without using "extraordinary measures" to keep them alive. This means at their request, no CPR, or respirators, sometimes no feeding tube, just what is called palliative care, pain meds, emotional support, just keeping the patient as comfortable as possible. Patients are even allowed to have their pets visit. The patients room will often have a home-like setting, meaning not cold hospital room furniture.

I think Hospice nurses and doctors are the best souls in the world, I learned a lot about life when I worked there.

You Izzy have a wonderful soul as well, to care and worry so much about your teacher is wonderful, you will go far in this life!

Just remember, your teacher will not suffer for much more, keep that thought close to your heart, even if it does not erase all your pain.

All the best, I'll be thinking of you.

Answer 3

My mother died last year and at the end we were lucky enough to have the insurance so we could set up hospice in-home.  We had a big, electric hospital bed placed in the middle of the her living room and a full-time nurse to help her with whatever she needed

(she could not get up from the bed)

Most of us children stayed with her till the end, my dad too.  It is a more humane way for someone to pass then being in a convalescent home or hospital on tubes.  

It was a rainy Sunday night when she breathed her last breath, and the nurse took care of everything as we sat around mom, she even made the appropriate phone calls.

Answer 4

A Hospice is a hospital, But not a regular one. People that are in one, they are more or less going to pass away.

In other words they go there to pass away.

My aunt worked for one in Chicago a few years ago.  

But I can assure you that he will not be in any pain at all.

Answer 5

Hospice care doesnt for sure mean he is in the hospital. He MAY be at home.

Hospice is used when someone has a disease that is terminal (un-curable and is going to kill the patient). The whole purpose of hospice is to make the patient comfortable, as well as the family and friends.

Right now they are giving your teacher medication to make him comfortable, as well as doing all they can to help his family deal with his soon to come death.

Sorry your are dealing with this!!