This excellent blog post from the Care Givers website reflects upon support caregivers need up to and including a vigil with their loved one. In this context the discussion describes limitations of hospice in certain caregiving settings.
Some pertine
Read more…Our Hospice is in the process of forming a position description and trying to decide what type of training to provide for a volunteer who wishes to serve in the capacity of an 11th Hour volunteer. Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.
Read more…HVA has a number of resources relating to vigiling programs. Here are some suggestions:
I always use the title from that 2000 classic starring George Clooney to describe the series of events that line up just right for the perfect outcome. And so it was for my first attended death. Like most of us in the hospice world our main focus is
Read more…Can anyone share resources to develop a vigil volunteer training? Thank you in advance!
Read more…Hello everyone,
I am new to the forum and am very excited about being here.
This group is very dear to my heart and I'm looking forward to many discussions. I am a midwife for the dying, which in essence is an 11th hour volunteer. I happen to be a nurs
On a structured and prescriptive level, music thanatology is the movement providing consolation to patients in the final stages of dying. This form of music therapy has become a part of many hospice programs. The bedside services, which are perform
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."
