185 From Suffering to Peace: A Personal Hospice Story

185 From Suffering to Peace: A Personal Hospice Story Host Marie Betcher, a registered nurse and former hospice nurse, shares her father-in-law's hospice experience to illustrate that end-of-life care is not always smooth. As his cancer progressed, he experienced severe, escalating pain at home, compounded by a medication supply breakdown and the family's stress, including her mother-in-law's vascular dementia. Marie called hospice and then 911, but multiple responders were unable to transport him due to regulations, creating delays until paramedics provided pain medication and a transport team arrived. A wrong route extended the ambulance ride, and the hospital had not been notified by hospice. In the ER, IV medications and palliative sedation finally brought comfort; he slept peacefully for several hours and died without suffering. Marie reflects on learning from imperfect hospice stories and announces a shift to less frequent episodes for work-life balance. 00:00 Podcast Disclaimer 00:29 Meet Your Host 00:43 Father-in-Law Hospice Setup 02:12 Pain Crisis at Home 03:36 Calling Hospice and 911 07:00 Transport Roadblocks 10:11 Ambulance Ride Gone Wrong 11:06 ER Arrival and Palliative Sedation 13:38 Peaceful Passing 14:38 Lessons and Imperfect Stories 16:44 Listener Invitation and Wrap-Up   If you want to help, you can donate to help support Hospice Explained at the Buy me a Coffee link   https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Hospice  Hospice Explained Affiliates & Contact Information Buying from these Affilite links will help support this Podcast.  Maire introduces a partnership with Suzanne Mayer RN inventor of the  cloud9caresystem.com,  When patients remain in the same position for extended periods, they are at high risk of developing pressure injuries, commonly known as bedsores. One of the biggest challenges caregivers face is the tendency for pillows and repositioning inserts to easily dislodge during care.(Suzanne is a former guest on Episode #119) When you order with Cloud 9 care system, please tell them you heard about them from Hospice Explained.(Thank You) Marie's Contact [email protected] www.HospiceExplained.com   Finding a Hospice Agency 1. You can use Medicare.gov to help find a hospice agency, 2. choose Find provider 3. Choose Hospice 4. then add your zip code This should be a list of Hospice Agencies local to you or your loved one.