When my mother entered Hospice we knew that her condition was terminal. However, I had no knowledge of what this place would be like. My mother was not very lucid as she was fading in and out. She was put in a room with three other patients; not all in various stages of terminal illnesses. All of these patients had visitors, some were much louder and much more animated that expected. I found this upsetting and did let the staff know; apparently, this was the best they could offer. I received two phone calls to let me know that they were administering morphine to my mother; two within a four-five hour time frame.She had never before received this medication. My mother was 85 lbs. I arrived at the Hospice just as she was dying; she died after I was there for 2-3 minutes. No one at that facility ever called to let me know that the end was imminent; I will never forgive that. To be honest, I never wanted to go to this facility; I had requested that her Hematologist/Oncologist send her to Yale where she (and the family)had previously been treated with such care and respect. This woman doctor refused without even an explanation; she did it through a nurse. Be very careful of this group of female hematologists; they are simply too all-knowing to be bothered with family concerns - likewise, be careful of this Hospice and be very involved with the treatment plan with the doctor as you likely won't see one past the initial entrance discussion-we didn't. Also, forget any real privacy unless you think a 4 patient bedroom is accceptable !
more