Hospice hustle

[Anonymous]

Anyone else read this? Because of recent experience with hospice care for my mom I can relate. One particular thing that stuck out for me is “Since most hospice care takes place at home and nurses aren’t required to visit more than twice a month, it’s not difficult to keep overhead low and to outsource the bulk of the labor to unpaid family members—assuming that willing family members are at hand.” It wasn’t long before I felt like the system was a sham and no one was really helping me be a caregiver. In fact, the hospice nurse interfered more than helped.

[Anonymous]

Link?

[Anonymous]

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/12/05/how-hospice-became-a-for-profit-hustle

[Anonymous]

How much were you paying for the hospice care?

[Anonymous]

This is why my parent refused hospice care, kept his regular doctors and Medicare/private supplemental insurance even when we knew he was terminally ill. His doctors continued to treat him even though the focus moved away from “curing” to ensuring quality of life, treating infections and managing pain.

Hospice wouldn’t have provided him with anything other than an occasional nurse visit. He would have to sign away his right to medical care and who would want to do that if they have other options? If you ask me, hospitals push it as a cost-saving measure (for them!).

[Anonymous]

You can keep your doctors and everything else with hospice. Medicare does not allow for continued treatment, not hospice. Hospice isn't supposed to replace 24/7 care, it is supposed to provide support. We found it very helpful in the nursing home and they fixed issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else read this? Because of recent experience with hospice care for my mom I can relate. One particular thing that stuck out for me is “Since most hospice care takes place at home and nurses aren’t required to visit more than twice a month, it’s not difficult to keep overhead low and to outsource the bulk of the labor to unpaid family members—assuming that willing family members are at hand.” It wasn’t long before I felt like the system was a sham and no one was really helping me be a caregiver. In fact, the hospice nurse interfered more than helped.

My EXACT experience. And the social worker was a bully

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can keep your doctors and everything else with hospice. Medicare does not allow for continued treatment, not hospice. Hospice isn't supposed to replace 24/7 care, it is supposed to provide support. We found it very helpful in the nursing home and they fixed issues.

Different situation. Different accountability. Lots of eyes watching

[Anonymous]

I would never recommend or choose it unless loved one was not local.

[Anonymous]

I had the total opposite experience with Montgomery Hospice and Talbot Hospice. Not denying this experience just saying in case anyone is reading in a panic. Both were incredibly helpful, compassionate, and competent staffs/organizations.

[Anonymous]

The article is all about for-profit hospices and their abuse of patients and the system to make big big bucks. It's horrifying, but it's not an indictment of all hospices or the hospice philosophy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had the total opposite experience with Montgomery Hospice and Talbot Hospice. Not denying this experience just saying in case anyone is reading in a panic. Both were incredibly helpful, compassionate, and competent staffs/organizations.

Montgomery Hospice really improved my love ones quality of life to the point she improved, they pulled out and a month later she was dead. They couldn't justify staying in with the improvement.

[Anonymous]

My MIL (not local) had a positive experience with hospice; they did what they were supposed to do, in that they kept her out of the hospital, managed her pain and bathed her twice a week. She has a wonderful private duty caregiver (not affiliated with the hospice) who made a huge difference.

[Anonymous]

We’ve used Capital Caring twice and had a great experience both times.

[Anonymous]

We had a good experience with a religiously based non-profit hospice. We’re a different religion, but they didn’t push that aspect and were really respectful of my parents’ beliefs, too.