You need to be a member of Hospice Community Forum to add comments!
CAREGIVERS STORE
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."
=================
The Changing Face of Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care
HCF Creator & HVA President
Volunteers have a long history of supporting the development and delivery of hospice and palliative care in most countries throughout the world. As hospice and palliative care services anticipate significant increasing and changing demands, it is recognized that volunteers have a vital role to play in supporting the future delivery of services. However, as society changes so too does volunteering.
This multi-author text explores the complex phenomenon of hospice and palliative care volunteering from an international perspective and considers the influence on volunteering of different cultures and constructs. The book also explores the likely impact of changes in hospice and palliative care on volunteers and considers how and why volunteering itself is changing and the subsequent implications for managers, organizations, and policy makers.
This book does not attempt to offer solutions to the many challenges ahead, but rather poses questions that may help to reflect on new possibilities and opportunities.
Review
"The book is well laid out and written in an easy to use manner. It begins with setting the scene of volunteering and the modern context of hospice and palliative care. The book is well referenced and covers a range of topics making for a balanced and thought provoking read." -- Nursing Times
"If you run a palliative care volunteer service, or a palliative care service with a volunteer program, you need to read this book. Not only will it give you an in-depth view of where things are at, but also how things are changing in countries from around the world." -- Roger Woodruff, IAHPC Newsletter
Editors
Ros Scott, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Dundee, UK and Co-chair, EAPC Task Force on Volunteering in Hospice and Palliative Care. She is a researcher and voluntary sector consultant with a background in organisational development, research and the development of volunteering and of palliative care organisations.
Steven Howlett, Deputy Director at Roehampton Business School, London, UK where he teaches undergraduate and post graduate courses in management and ethics. Previously he was Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Volunteering research where he completed many studies on volunteering.
Steven Howlett, Deputy Director at Roehampton Business School, London, UK where he teaches undergraduate and post graduate courses in management and ethics. Previously he was Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Volunteering research where he completed many studies on volunteering.
Comments
Kelly
To the best of my knowledge, mileage is non-reimburseable, in any form. That is the way it has been for the 20 years I have been managing hospice volunteers, and haven't heard of any changes to that. What I do, is give them a questionairre at the end of the training, asking them where they are willing to go "geographically" for us. Then I stick to that. If it means that a family can't have a volunteer because I don't have anyone in the area or someone willing to go, I will try and work with our team to find another solution. BTW...caregivers can go out when your staff is in the home, doing care. (I also have the volunteers get a calendar strictly for hospice mileage. They will document all miles on dates served. At the end of the year, if they want, I will give them a statment of miles traveled for hospice for an income tax deduction.) I will caution you though, that deduction can be as varied as the number of people asking for it. Depends on income, etc.
Here in Albuquerque, it is like pulling teeth to find ANY one to volunteer, much less asking them to bury themselves in gasoline debt! Sometimes if it is a critical need, I will go out and sit with the patient myself. Staff members do get re-imbursed for mileage.
Re: your "Background Check" question...this is a Federal Background Check, so it will be the same no matter where the perspective volunteer is from geographically. The irony in this is that ONLY convictions will be revealed...so your candidate could be an ax murderer in 50 out of 51 states, and if they have never been found guilty or been convicted, it will not show up on their background check.
Re: your question on the "Police Check"...I never heard of that until I moved here to Albuquerque. Our administration had no idea what it was either. In digging around, it appears that it is a report from the "Office of the Inspector General." That is public record, and you can get it off the Internet. Do a "google search" for "Office of the Inspector General." They only require a couple pieces of information on the individual. I have never found anyone to be listed on there with a police record. Print it out, and put it in the volunteers 'red' file. I have not had any problem with my files since I started doing this. They have accepted the "OIG" report to fill that requirement.
I hope this helps you, Kelly...
Here is my phone number: 505-323-1464. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me. Jan
Kelly
Glad to hear from you...yes, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) historically has paid their volunteers a stipend and also pay something toward their mileage. The mileage thing in todays world is certainly NOT enough! However, because of that we could not use them because of the money involvement.
I phoned our local RSVP here in Albuquerque yesterday. It appears as though among other things it is a 'clearing house' for recruitment of volunteers. Your hospice will go on a list of possible places to volunteer, and RSVP will call you with that individual's name. At that point, you become their supervisor. They will go thru your volunteer training, be responsible for doing the work for your agency etc. and then they will do the paperwork for RSVP for the reimbursement.
This is where it becomes a conflict for me, because every place I have worked before (20 years worth) have stated that it is against Medicare Regs to pay hospice volunteers any type of reimbursement, from any source. However in speaking with this lady yesterday, other hospices are utilizing the services of RSVP as a recruitment agency.
I have asked RSVP to send me the paperwork to get on their list of providers. I also have talked again with my administrator, and we are pressing forward with it.
I am keeping very precise notes (documentation) on all of it. Just in case...
I hope this helps you. I would be happy to try and answer any other questions for you.
Have a Good Day...Jan
Thanks, Kelly