How to Provide Quality Hospice Care for LGBTQ+ Families, Episode 139

Hospice social worker and grief counselor Jill Johnson-Young is sharing wisdom and her perspective on end of life care for the LGBTQ+ community.  Just like every other patient and caregiver, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their caregivers want to feel safe and be treated with respect during their end of life experience.  Although it’s difficult to do, end of life workers need to be aware of their own biases.  Members of the LGBTQ+ community might be hesitant to choose hospice care, withhold necessary information from their end of life team, or even go back in the closet during hospice care. While each of us have opinions, hospice interdisciplinary team members should never voice those opinions about patients’ and caregivers’ lives.  Quality of care suffers when healthcare professionals show prejudice and judgmental attitudes.  The care of people in the LGBTQ+ community should be no different than the care that’s provided to any other patients.  Everyone deserves respect, compassion, tolerance, and empathy. You can connect with Jill Johnson-Young at jilljohnsonyoung.com. Read Jill’s blog here. Buy your copy of The Rebellious Widow and Your Own Path Through Grief  here.   Want to encourage a caregiver or say thank you to a friend? Order a customized care package from BeyondWordsCo.com. Find care packages and workplace gift programs for corporate gifting, employees, co-workers and clients here.  Read more about how Catherine Hinz founded BeyondWords here.  Connect with podcast host Helen Bauer at [email protected]. Find more information about hospice philosophy, end of life care, and self care for both personal and professional caregivers here.   Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak for your podcast, event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].  Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)