Reframing Healing as a Physician in Hospice Care

This post was adapted from an essay appearing in The Hospice Team: Who We Are and How We Care. By Faustino Gonzalez, MD, Chief Medical Officer The concept of healing has always been associated with cure of disease. Healing is, in fact, the goal of medicine. As a physician trained in Internal Medicine, I spent the first fourteen years of my professional life applying my skills toward that goal. When I started working in hospice and palliative care, my focus became comfort and symptom control. Did I abandon my mandate? Did I fail Hippocrates? I do not think so. In his famous essay, from which…

Things to Remember About People with Dementia

Communication Tips for Caregivers

Communicating with people with dementia can seem hard, but it doesn’t have to be! Let these person-centered tips be your guide.

Messages for Dorothy

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and HPP will be joining organizations across the nation to raise awareness for hospice and demonstrate its importance. In our Hospice Perspectives Series, people share their stories of hospice care. While these stories do feature death, they also feature profound hope, compassion, comfort, and joy. They will touch your heart and provide invaluable insight into palliative care and the end of life.  This story is written by Linda Watson, former pastoral and supportive care professional, and author of Facing Death: A Companion in Words and Images. She was given six weeks to…

Matthew’s Last Days

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and HPP will be joining organizations across the nation to raise awareness for hospice and demonstrate its importance. In our Hospice Perspectives Series, people share their stories of hospice care. While these stories do feature death, they also feature profound hope, compassion, comfort, and joy. They will touch your heart and provide invaluable insight into palliative care and the end of life.  This story is written by Joyce Simard, social worker, internationally recognized speaker, author, and creator of the Namaste Care™ program. Life has a way of leading you down…

In My Own Voice: Pre-death Restlessness

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and HPP will be joining organizations across the nation to raise awareness for hospice and demonstrate its importance. In our Hospice Perspectives Series, people share their stories of hospice care. While these stories do feature death, they also feature profound hope, compassion, comfort, and joy. They will touch your heart and provide invaluable insight into palliative care and the end of life.  This perspective is written by Eve Joseph, M.A., a longtime hospice counselor and hospital social worker. She is also an acclaimed poet.  “So, you are the one who is going…

‘At Last I Found You:’ The Powerful Effect of Namaste Care

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and HPP will be joining organizations across the nation to raise awareness for hospice and demonstrate its importance. In our Hospice Perspectives Series, people share their stories of hospice care. While these stories do feature death, they also feature profound hope, compassion, comfort, and joy. They will touch your heart and provide invaluable insight into palliative care and the end of life.  This story is written by Joyce Simard, social worker, internationally recognized speaker, author, and creator of the Namaste Care™ program. In dementia care, stuffed animals and dolls are not for…

What is Hospice?

Many misconceptions surround hospice care. Here are just a few examples of what hospice is, and how it is distinctive among modern medical disciplines.

The Differences Between Bullying and Challenging Behaviors in Long-Term Care

Older adults in long-term care Although many behaviors exhibited by older adults can be challenging, the situation in which behavior occurs and the type of behavior often determine whether it is actually bullying versus a challenging behavior whereby a resident is simply being rude or unpleasant. Key factors that define an incident as bullying include behaviors that: Are directed at a specific person or group of people Involve an imbalance of power or a desire to gain power Occur repeatedly in most cases As an example of a challenging behavior that does not meet the definition of bullying, consider and…

Is It Bullying?

Download this handy infographic that compares and contrasts elder abuse, bullying, nonbullying behaviors, and challenging behaviors. Read the book! Bullying Among Older Adults How to Recognize and Address an Unseen Epidemic By Robin P. Bonifas, Ph.D., M.S.W. Copyright © 2016 by Health Professions Press, Inc. Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools to recognize, intervene, and prevent resident-to-resident bullying in elder care. Learn more…