“I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.” ― Elon Musk Communication is vital to effective hospice care. Hospice is more than just symptom and pain relief. While those issues are at the core of the clinical…

“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” ― Henry David Thoreau Hospice professionals see people at their worst: patients suffering a terminal illness and are no longer pursuing curative treatment. Family members dealing with their loved one staring down a ticking clock. Patients in…

“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” ― Duke Ellington A hospice nurse who was interviewed for this piece said in relation to the concept of delivering care to patient on their terms and not the care clinicians think is best, “if the patient is non-compliant it means we have the…

“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself” ― Earl Nightingale   Hospice is intensely personal, especially when it comes to visiting patients in their home. Patients and family members can be living under intense pressure. Hospice professionals can be challenged by a near infinite number of situations that can trigger a…

“Being confident you are right is not the same as being right.” ― Steven D. Levitt   Hospice is a people heavy business.  From coworkers to facility teams to patients and their families, working in hospice means constant interaction with others. Many of these interactions are emotionally charged & powerful. A hospice liaison may be the…

“It is not important what is said, what is important is what is heard.” ― Jeffrey Fry It takes a lot of self-control to be an active listener. Good listeners work at the skill of absorbing what another person is saying.  Merriam-Webster defines listening as: to pay attention to sound (listen to music) to hear something…

“When you are there, be truly present, be into that moment, 100%, and that place, or person, or experience will forever become part of you” — Bodhi Smith Living On The Clock Hospice patients are living with an incurable, untreatable, terminal illness. They are living a life on the clock. Every tick and every tock…

“I don’t know whether this is the best of times or the worst of times, but I assure you it’s the only time you’ve got. You can either wake up and stay in or get outside and pick a daisy.” – Art Buchwald There are some great tips on how to be positive and cultivate…

“Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous – not just to some people in some circumstances – but to everyone all the time.” – Thomas J. Watson Courtesy is the hospice outcome that matters I recently spoke with a doctor who works in a hospital and complained about the HCAHPS –…