Even the most skilled and experienced practitioners can find areas where improvements can be made.  Finding someone who can provide objective observation and constructive feedback can be a great way to increase the quality of the care you provide. 

There are frequent changes to regulations and evidence-based best practices, which means there’s always something to learn. Coaching and mentoring those who are starting in the end of life industry helps to create a dedicated, skilled workforce who in turn can support the new staff who will come after them.  If you’re part of a hospice interdisciplinary team, help each other out and seek out the mentors in our industry.

Barbara Karnes is one of our mentors, and Dr. Atul Gawande has a great TED talk about how he benefited from coaching. You can watch it here.  You’ll find more resources to support and enhance your hospice practice at theheartofhospice.com, along with ideas for your Self Care.  Remember, you are The Heart of Hospice!

A Do Not Resuscitate order is one of the most confusing and misunderstood parts of end of life care.  What do you need to know about DNR orders if you’re a hospice patient, or a family member who makes decisions for a loved one?

Jerry and Helen do some “myth busting” about what CPR is really like, and how successful it is likely to be when used on a terminally ill patient.  What we see on TV and movies doesn’t accurately depict what resuscitative procedures look like. The best practice is to talk about DNR decisions with your physician or your hospice team. Remember that it’s not a one and done conversation - you need time to think it over and get answers to your questions.  Patients and their families have rights, and their decisions should be respected. Give a DNR decision the consideration it deserves.

You can find out how to make a discussion of DNR orders part of your advance care planning conversations on theheartofhospice.com.  Take advantage of the multiple resources offered on the Learn page.  Your decisions matter - you are The Heart of Hospice!  

Our hospice colleague Helen Haddick has a unique blog. Helen shares incredibly transparent and sometimes heart-wrenching stories about her experiences as a hospice nurse.

Coming from a background of critical care, Helen has connected with end of life care in a deep way.  Her honesty is moving, and her dedication to both patients and families is palpable in her writing. It’s easy to conjure up vivid images of the work of a hospice nurse as you share hospice work through Helen’s eyes.

You can find her blog at fromsavingtosending.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. She’s simply amazing! 

The Heart of Hospice can connect you with vital information about end of life care, advance care planning, and self care for both professionals and unpaid caregivers. And be sure to listen to the end of this Heartbeat episode to hear Helen’s favorite Dolly Parton quote!

We’re excited to connect you with Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest as another resource for advance care planning materials and information. 

According to the Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest website,“Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest is a joint initiative between the Washington State Hospital Association and Washington State Medical Association.  

We inspire conversations about the care people want at the end of life. This comprehensive initiative uses a variety of approaches, such as an advance care planning program, community engagement, physician education, advocacy, and a central repository. We help the public make informed choices about end-of-life care.” 

There’s a section especially for healthcare professionals that has videos about listening, empathy, and advance care planning for older homeless-experienced adults.  There’s also a great FAQ page that answers the questions that come up most frequently.  Check out this great resource at https://www.honoringchoicespnw.org/. 

You’ll find more information about advance care planning and how to have those tough conversations at theheartofhospice.com.  And remember - You are The Heart of Hospice!

Gabrielle Elise Jimenez was an instant connection for us! During the first 30 minutes of her interview, we were blown away by the compassionate heart that Gabby shares with her patients, and with the world on her website - thehospiceheart.net. 

Her energy and enthusiasm are palpable, and she shared her nurse’s heart with us as we talked.  After switching careers to become a nurse in her 40’s, Gabby found her calling in hospice. She’s an advocate for quality in end of life care. 

Here’s how Gabby describes the mission of The Hospice Heart: “I have learned so much from so many different people; doctors, nurses, caregivers, social workers, chaplains, volunteers,  and most of all from the patients I have cared for and the families I have supported. I have been given the most wonderful tools and I want to share them with each of you… I want to dig into my wonderful bag of love and give those gifts to you. I want to help you become a better care provider whether it is as a profession, or it is for someone you love who is nearing the end of their life.” 

And that’s exactly what she does!  We are honored to be connected with Gabby.  Check out her blog (and her books!!) here on thehospiceheart.net and Amazon.com.  You’re going to love her hospice heart! 

Find more information on end of life care, hospice philosophy, and resources for caregivers (both professional and unpaid) on theheartofhospice.com.  You are the Heart of Hospice! 

We’re excited to connect you with Funeralwise.  It’s a great place to find information about cremation, how different faiths view cremation.  You can find their colorful and informative infographics at funeralwise.com. 

Their mission is expressed beautifully on the funeralwise home page - “Prepare. Celebrate. Remember...We are here to help you prepare wisely and celebrate uniquely.  Because every life deserves to be remembered.” 

The “Wise Guys”, as they call themselves, discuss everything from grief and funeral customs, to funeral 101 and religious and military customs for funerals.  There are several free downloadable funeral planning guides and information that would be useful to hospice professionals as they guide patients and families through funeral planning. 

For more information on end of life care, self care techniques, and advance care planning, check out theheartofhospice.com.  And remember, you are The Heart of Hospice!  

The choice to die with dignity on your own terms is an intensely personal decision.  There are now 9 states in the U.S. that have Death with Dignity laws in place. Death with Dignity laws enable terminally ill persons to make choices about how and when they die. 

If you’re a hospice and palliative care professional, you should know about these laws. You don’t have to endorse these laws, or condemn them, but you should be knowledgeable about the laws that would affect the patients in your state.   According to death with dignity.org, “for more than 20 years, Death with Dignity National Center, Death with Dignity Political Fund, and their predecessor organizations have defended and advanced policy reform based on the model legislation, the Oregon Death with Dignity Act”.   Find out more by going to their FAQ page. 

You can find more information about end of life care, caregiving, and grief on theheartofhospice.com.  Send us an email to share your experience with Death with Dignity laws - we’re always grateful for the connection.  And remember, no matter who you are, or where you are in your hospice journey, you are The Heart of Hospice.

Some experiences are worth repeating.  Our interview with Pulitzer prize-winning author Ellen Goodman was one of our brightest moments, and we’re excited to share it with you in an encore presentation. 

Ellen is a co-founder and director of The Conversation Project, an organization whose mission centers around helping people to voice their wishes for care at the end of life.  They know that having discussions about death and dying can help to ensure respectful, appropriate care when serious illness becomes a reality.  It’s about having those conversations in the living room, not in the hospital waiting room.

In advance of National Healthcare Decisions Day 2020 coming up on April 16, we want to highlight how important it is to have conversations about your end of life wishes with the important people in your life.

Check out theheartofhospice.com to get more information about advance care planning, and to subscribe to the podcast to connect you with Helen and Jerry of The Heart of Hospice every time we release a new episode.  Take care of your Self - you are The Heart of Hospice. 

It’s easy to find a calming moment inside the day when you listen to the Meditative Story podcast. It’s a weekly podcast that “blends intimate first-person stories with mindfulness prompts, enveloped in beautiful music composition”. 

As the narrators of the stories share their moments of insight, the incredible music flows around you like a silky warm wind. You can create an interval in your day that refreshes and refocuses your mind.  Meditative Story is much more than just an audio experience; it’s a feeling, a renewal of spirit, a deep cleansing breath that connects the listener not only with narrators, but also with himself.

The podcast is a “WaitWait original series - created by the team who built and led TED’s media organization - in close partnership with Arianna Huffington’s thrive Global.” 

Check out the Meditative Story podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, (Spotify, Apple podcasts). 

If you want more information on self care, caregiving, or end of life care, connect with us on The Heart of Hospice website (theheartofhospice.com).  Have you found a self care moment that works to keep you healthy and thriving? Share it with us in an email at [email protected].  No matter who you are, or where you are in your hospice journey, you are The Heart of Hospice. 

What hospice teams don’t know can hurt their patients.  End of life professionals who are ignorant of different cultures or faiths can damage the care of seriously ill patients and their families. 

Dying Matters, an organization in the U.K., has a great video that can help you to learn about the death customs and beliefs of the Muslim faith. Dying Matters describes itself as “a coalition of individual and organisational members across England and Wales, which aims to help people talk more openly about dying, death and bereavement, and to make plans for the end of life.” 

You can find their video “I Didn’t Know That” on their website.  It depicts the death of a young Muslim man and how healthcare workers struggle to care for his parents after the event.  At just over 18 minutes long, the film is a great way to train your hospice interdisciplinary team about Muslim customs observed during a death.  Think you already know? Check out the film to see just how accurate your knowledge is.

If you’re interested in more ways to connect with hospice resources, visit theheartofhospice.com.  You’ll find information on basic hospice philosophy and how the modern hospice movement was started.  Stay connected with us by subscribing on the website.  No matter who you are or where you are in your hospice journey, you are The Heart of Hospice!