192: Cynthia Cisneros on Home Hospice, Symptom Management, and Team Support

192: Cynthia Cisneros on Home Hospice, Symptom Management, and Team Support Host Marie Betcher, a registered nurse and former hospice nurse, interviews Cynthia Cisneros RN in episode 192 about her nursing career and hospice experience. Cynthia describes studying at UCLA, earning a nursing degree in 1981, and working in orthopedics, pediatrics, oncology, and with early AIDS patients before moving into home health and then hospice, where she was mentored by a pioneer nurse, Margaret, and later worked in palliative care and home hospice evaluations. Cynthia emphasizes that families often wish they had started hospice sooner because it brings peace through symptom management, education, and emotional support from the full interdisciplinary team, including social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, and volunteers. She discusses the benefits of home hospice—control, no visiting hours, and 24/7 on-call nurse support—along with concerns about inconsistent comfort-med dosing in facilities and the need for education, including reassurance that morphine provides comfort and does not kill patients. 00:00 Welcome and Disclaimer 00:43 Meet Cynthia Cisneros RN 02:40 From Oncology to Hospice 03:58 Why Hospice Helps 05:37 The Hospice Team 06:37 Volunteers and Nurse Humor 07:43 Home Hospice Benefits 10:13 Morphine Myths and Facilities 13:19 On Call Support at Night 14:21 When Death Often Happens 16:03 Learn Before You Need It 16:41 Margaret and Early Hospice 18:33 Closing and Subscribe   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.