Cracking the Hospice Code

Your Nurse Advocate Consulting R.N.s Linda Kritikos and Pam Dunwald share stories that will bring both laughter and tears as they address the top 10 reasons people hesitate to enroll in a hospice program. We illustrate and share all the stages of grief, the emotions felt along the way and acknowledge that these are all completely normal while traveling this final journey. Part One of the book looks at all the emotions associated with having a terminal illness with both the individual...
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Your Nurse Advocate Consulting R.N.s Linda Kritikos and Pam Dunwald share stories that will bring both laughter and tears as they address the top 10 reasons people hesitate to enroll in a hospice program. We illustrate and share all the stages of grief, the emotions felt along the way and acknowledge that these are all completely normal while traveling this final journey. Part One of the book looks at all the emotions associated with having a terminal illness with both the individual and their loved ones. We share stories of inspiration and struggles that demonstrate first hand what this journey looks like and hope that you find comfort in knowing you are not alone with your feelings. These stories will share some of the remarkable things hospice can do when given the extra time to be with families. The trouble is, many seek out hospice only hours or days before their loved one passes. This scenario does not give the hospice team a real chance to make a big impact on the quality of someone's life when they may not have a quantity of life left. Part Two of our book digs deeper in to the Top 10 Misconceptions of Hospice that often keep individuals and families from enrolling in the Hospice Program. We go head on addressing things we have heard along the way in our experience as past hospice nurses. We will address things like "Hospice Just Wants Me to Starve to Death", "Hospice is Only for People with One Foot Already in the Grave." These statements are real along with eight others we have heard repeatedly along the way.Our goal is to share what hospice can do given some extra time with the individual and their family. You may still decide that hospice is not for you but we will have done our best to educate you on the benefits. Your questions will be answered. We will share all the reasons why hospice can bring quality of life and dignity to someone facing a terminal illness for as long as their journey lasts. Pam and Linda started Your Nurse Advocate Consulting as we have seen many people struggle with the responsibility of caring for an aging parent or spouse and often live miles away. As R.N. patient advocates, we work together to put a plan in place to give you peace of mind, ease any guilty feelings you may have, and give you the feeling of confidence that things are being taken care of. You may find yourself in unfamiliar territory dealing with health insurance, medical bills, learning to live with chronic illnesses, managing medications, and coordinating doctor appointments all the while trying to keep your loved on safe at home. You may feel torn with all the errands, grocery shopping, managing their finances, paying their bills and trying to take care of your own family at the same time. Your Nurse Advocates will provide tools, education, resources and 1:1 consultations to put a plan in place that is right for you.