Anonymous wrote:My father was in hospice in his nursing home. They offered morphine as needed during his final week when he was no longer eating or drinking (no artificially administered fluids or nutrition per his advanced directive). They hospice nurses worked with his usual nurses to determine his level of discomfort. I think that they only administered it a few times.

We used Gilchrist. Their staff was wonderful.

Good luck for you and your family.

Glad to hear hear positive stories.
My Dad had similar experience as above. He was alert and engaged for ~8 days, 1.5 days before he died he was sleepy, the last 12 hours he didn’t wake up.

The experience of being with him and chatting now and again was much better than any of my family expected.

Again, good luck. It doesn’t have to be awful.

What does it take to be approved for residential hospice? Is this a Medicare decision?

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know anything about Gilcrest but I was so relieved when my dad was approved for residential hospice. There was a big fear that he would be limited to home hospice and his care had become really exhausting and we didn’t know how we could keep it going. The employees at hospice were so different from all the people we’d encountered in the hospital, in rehab, and in outpatient care. It was actually a serene time and took away all of the fears we’d been carrying for so long (years of cancer and tough surgeries). I hope you have the same experience, OP.

I’m sorry OP, and I hope you family can find peace at this difficult time.

My family’s experience with residential hospice was amazing. Our family member was cared for constantly in ever way by true experts and angels. It changed how I think about death. Personally, I think residential is better than at-home, but this is a deeply personal preference.

Morphine drips can have effects on awareness/consciousness, but not always. It is dose dependent and can be affected by other factors. There are many options for pain control, so you can talk to hospice staff about what’s most important your mom and family and ask them to act accordingly. If your mom wants to be alert (or not) for periods or as much as possible, let them know. Most people experience a “surge” close to death in which they temporarily “wake up” and are fully present, but this is obviously impossible to predict.

Be vocal about what your mom and your family needs and know that they will be equipped to meet all of it. Again, I hope this is a peaceful transition for you and your family.

I don’t know anything about Gilcrest but I was so relieved when my dad was approved for residential hospice. There was a big fear that he would be limited to home hospice and his care had become really exhausting and we didn’t know how we could keep it going. The employees at hospice were so different from all the people we’d encountered in the hospital, in rehab, and in outpatient care. It was actually a serene time and took away all of the fears we’d been carrying for so long (years of cancer and tough surgeries). I hope you have the same experience, OP.

Gilcrest in Baltimore

Anonymous wrote:Where is the residential hospice?

Where is the residential hospice?

My father was in hospice in his nursing home. They offered morphine as needed during his final week when he was no longer eating or drinking (no artificially administered fluids or nutrition per his advanced directive). They hospice nurses worked with his usual nurses to determine his level of discomfort. I think that they only administered it a few times.

We used Gilchrist. Their staff was wonderful.

Anonymous wrote:My father was in hospice and was given regular morphine injections to keep hm comfortable. My understanding is it helped with breathing as well. I am not sure what your question is.

Adding that where my father was they did not use any tubes so injections were the only options.

My father was in hospice and was given regular morphine injections to keep hm comfortable. My understanding is it helped with breathing as well. I am not sure what your question is.

Does she have a palliative care physician? That person can help you make decisions. In general, though, hospitals and the like don't generally volunteer pain meds like a morphine drip unless it will be necessary. I would allow it but I work in the field and I believe that hospitals tend to be too stingy about pain meds. It isn't like she is going to get addicted, for Pete's sake. She's dying. Keep her as free from pain as possible.

My mother was just approved for residential hospice. There is some talk about getting a morphine drip if she continues to experience pain. Can anyone offer any guidance as I am navigating this for the first time. We are in Baltimore. Many thanks.