Leah Ann Holmes from our Compassus Helena Program had her letter to the editor featured in the Helena Independent record. In this article, she discusses President Jimmy Carter’s decision to enter hospice and what hospice care means.
I’m often asked about my work as a hospice nurse.
Like my colleagues at Compassus, I’m passionate about my work and we continuously try to help educate patients, families and other health care professionals about the benefits of hospice.
Recently this discussion was brought to the forefront by the decision of President Jimmy Carter to enter hospice. Our thoughts are with him and his family, and we would like to help our community better understand what entering hospice care means.
Hospice focuses on caring, not curing. The goal is to make the time a patient has left as comfortable and meaningful as possible. Hospice is team-based care focused on patient and family well-being. A team works together to address symptom control and provide emotional and spiritual support.
Patients and families often say they wished they’d started hospice earlier, and research studies back that up. Hospice has been found to provide the greatest benefit and end-of-life patient satisfaction the earlier it is initiated.
Hospice is not giving up. It doesn’t hasten death and it’s not only for the last few days of life.
Compassus Hospice of Helena provides services in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, Broadwater and Powell counties.
Leigh Ann Holmes
Click here to review the article on the Helena Independent Record.
