HOSPICE

I know this doesn’t sound like it would be a title of one of my posts. I’m usually posting something a bit more witty, well I try to anyway, with a slightly? morbid sense of humor, (fortunately my family has the same sense of humor), up beat, making each other laugh, and generally having a good time, trying to out do each other. Well, this post doesn’t seem to be working that way this time.

That’s because this is not really a post about me . It is actually a comment ( a very long one) to one of Rudees from “A Knitting Nurse” that she posted last Saturday on Nov. 7th. I know it took me a while but I was so angry at the time, that I figured I’d better take time to think about it till I cooled off a bit and could at least try to sound a little bit rational. I’m not sure it worked, but at least I’m not taking all her comment page space up, and decided to take up my own space up instead.

I’ve never met Rudee, except through her blog, but I’ve gotten the idea that she is a nurse that is one of the ones that comes in at the later stages of the patients illness. I could be wrong of course, correct me if I am) and so far I have only met the nurses, social workers, and the doctor that are the ones that come in at the beginning. Since the middle of September of have met the most caring, friendly, courteous, wonderful, people that go out of their way to explain your illness to you, explain all your options to you, try to relieve all your and your familys anxieties, manage your pain levels until they find the right combinations, (which they definitely do) visit you sometimes daily to do this, and when they are not here, they are constantly calling you to see how you are, if you need anything. Aside from my own family, Hospice workers are second to none!!! I can’t say enough good things about each and every one of them.

From what I have read about patients in the care of Hospice, sometimes the different combinations of medications can alter the mental outlook and cause some mean, and obnoxious behaviorism through no fault of their own. But all Hospice nurses know that and I’m sure are quick to forgive this kind of behavior. But…when it’s a family member who treats the nurses this way, it is totally unacceptable!!!! Treating a nurse that way, swearing and abusing them, the one who is there for the sole purpose of taking care of your loved one, making sure they get the best of care in their final days, is deplorable.

While that is fresh in my mind, I will now write letters of apologizes to all my family members in case I start to act like that, ( I know they’ll forgive me, cause we’ve talked about this, and I know they will not treat any nurses in this abusive way either because I’ve already threatened to slap them up side the head if they do) and I’m sure the nurses will also do the same. Well maybe they won’t slap them, but they have my permission if they want to.

All that being said, my hats, ( which are plentiful at this time thanks to all family members) are raised to each and everyone of you who choose to pick this type of career, taking care of others in their time of need, and hopefully are always treated in the best possible way. You certainly deserve it!!