Hospice care helps make the end of life the best it can be; yet, 40% of hospice patients enjoy only 14 days or less of the 180 days of care available to them. Most people believe that hospice is a good thing for later--much later. Karen J. Clayton uses stories from her social work practice to dispel this myth and describe the blessings of hospice, while answering practical questions and concerns about what is included, how it is paid, and where it happens. Readers will learn about the role of social workers, and the emotional support and practical help they provide not only for the patient, but for caregivers and family members as well. This insightful guide also offers practical advice for caregivers concerning planning ahead, creating advance directives, and ensuring patients get the care they want. By allaying the fears often associated with hospice care, Demystifying Hospice enables families to discuss end-of-life options and be comfortable asking for this extraordinary care when facing a terminal illness. oInformation is shared and fears are relieved about what hospice is and isn't. oHospice is not about giving up, but living well at the end of life. oInsights and tools for caregivers will help them give the best care possible and not burn out while doing so. oHospice avoids the emotional, physical and financial traumas of multiple visits to physicians' offices, ER, ICU, and hospital stays. oSix months of care are available; 40% have the care for only 14 days; 1/3 of patients wait until the last week of life. oStories provide an understanding of the social workers vital and practical role. oHospice care focus on symptom management, family involvement, and helps make the end of life the best it can be. oThese stories will lift your spirits, break your heart, and teach about hospice.
Industry Reviews
"Hospice is extraordinary!" With this opening line, Clayton, a social worker and sociologist, declares her advocacy. In what she calls "a gentle book about a difficult subject," she spells out the benefits of compassionate care for people who can't get more "curative" treatment, or who don't want more of it.... Clayton offers useful advice, including good tips on how to make last days more pleasant for both the patient and caregivers. Deepened by Clayton's feeling that it is an honor to find ways to help people say goodbye to their loved ones, this guide is invaluable. * Booklist *
Demystifying Hospice is an excellent addition to the hospice literature. Clayton has detailed wonderful stories about the hospice experience. It is well written and filled with compassion. I strongly recommend this book for all those who are interested in Hospice and learning more about the Hospice philosophy of care. -- Robert W. Buckingham, Professor of Public Health, University of Michigan-Flint
Karen Clayton invites us into the world of hospice through stories that reflect her passion for her patients and families and a rare view into the role of the hospice social worker. It provides a missing piece for the training of interdisciplinary team members regarding creating conversations focused on the psychosocial and emotional issues, an easy read, and filled with resources and information. -- Carla Jolley, Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner/Coordinator of Palliative Care Consult Service, WhidbeyHealth Medical Center
Demystifying Hospice provides incredibly useful and easily accessible information for patients and families facing incurable illness, including detailed description of hospice services and philosophy. Karen "Kay" Clayton's use of compelling stories, gathered throughout a career of service, demonstrates the healing power that can be harnessed through the hospice approach. Any person who feels the challenge to help a loved one through terminal illness would find this reading a blessed gift, with equal doses of practical wisdom and inspirational stories. This introduction to hospice care displays delicate conversations with those facing fear and uncertainty, alongside whispered stories of exceptional daily service that is the 'stuff' of hospice. The reader will grow to understand through this reading the reasons and ways to access hospice, the teams that fuel hospice service, and the societal, economic, and institutional barriers that limit and delay hospice services for many. I strongly recommend this book as a 'stocking stuffer' to those many who encounter loss, challenge, or discomfort through advanced illness or aging. -- Daniel L. Handel, Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine
