Recently Published!!
by Maryclaire Torinus
Surviving Hospice: A Chaplain's Journey into the Big Business of Dying Plus: How To Find a Trustworthy Hospice
This narrative is an insider’s look into the hijacking of hospice by private equity and professional investors and the subsequent harm to patients, their families, and to the interdisciplinary clinical teams. It was released by a NYC publisher on October 31, 2023. For sale on Amazon.
The author, a hospice chaplain, tells end-of-life stories of her patients who were harmed by financially-motivated policies. This is a book for anyone who is embarking on making a choice about a hospice for their loved one, working chaplains, those in training, and those interested in what dying is like with a hospice who places patients as their primary stakeholders.
Maryclaire's experience working for an owner who sold to a private equity firm helped her to realize that the reputation and viability of hospice is in jeopardy. Her goal is to alert all who love hospice to rid it of professional investors.
— Stacy Juba, author, editor, and award-winning health journalist
"Powerful, beautifully written, and eye-opening, this book spotlights the inner workings of a multi-billion-dollar industry and the effect on patients, families, and hospice staff. The author shares poignant accounts of hospice at its best and worst and the hard-hitting truths she learned on her journey. A must-read for family members exploring hospice care."
— Laura Kukowski, CEO, editor, For-Profit Badger Hospice, LLC
"Maryclaire Torinus speaks with authority, providing this essential handbook for choosing a hospice care team and why that selection really matters."
— Greg Schneider President, HVA, co-author of The Changing Face of Hospice Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care
"When I first found out that Maryclaire Torinus was writing this book, I immediately contacted her because in my 25+ years supporting hospice volunteers, I have seen a gradual decline in the quality of care volunteers are permitted to provide the dying and their families. There are a variety of reasons for this that I describe in the Foreward of this book. Maryclaire provides invaluable insights that everyone should know, along with solutions to help others make the right choice in choosing a hospice."
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Replies
I am Keri, a SPCA certified dog trainer here in San Francisco. Here are my thoughts:
1. As for crowding/petting and maybe overwhelming the dog: Perhaps you can create a sign in sheet for 5/10 minutes or whatever you choose for each patient. Dedicate a small amount of treats for each patient to give to the dog (as long as the dog has no issues with food) depending on the amount of people in the hospice. Keep the dog on a leash to be sure you have control at all times.
The above advice goes without saying the dog MUST not have ANY resource guarding or agression problems so I am wondering how you are testing for those?
The dog SHOULD seem bored at the visit. He/she should be calm and show no signs of stress (pacing, extreme stillness while standing/ears back/tail tucked between legs) while sitting or lying down.
If the patient isn't interested, they probably don't like dogs! I wouldn't force it on them, maybe once they have seen the dog around a number of times and the patients talk about how nice it is that he/she is there to keep them company, they might become interested.
Keep the tricks simple. Teach the dog to touch its nose to your hand and call it "KISS." You can hold your hand out and the dog will likely sniff it without even asking the dog to touch your hand. Once the dog touches his nose to your hand, give him/her a treat. Hold your hand out again and repeat the treating after the touch happens. Once he/she is reliably doing the targeting, add the command KISS. This is easy to teach people and pretty CUTE.
Goals on the visits, I would say FUN. It has to be of mutual benefit to both the patient and the dog.
I am not clear whether you are keeping a pet with each patient for long periods or short.....so I hope this is helpful! Anything by JEan Donaldson or Sirius Training here in SF would be helpful for training.
Keri
1) I did a therapy dog blog post some time ago that mentions dogs passing the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test. This certifies them to improve patients’ health in nursing homes and hospitals. Researching this test might lead you to groups that can advise you further. This is the blog post, and an informative video is included that mentions organizations involved in pet therapy:
http://hospiceandnursinghomes.blogspot.com/2008/01/therapy-dogs-and...
2) There is a series of dog training videos on YouTube that may also be helpful.
Good luck on this worthy adventure!
Frances Shani Parker