I visited my father in late March, he last almost 30 minutes and passed. At home, in a hospital bed, with animal feces and animal urine taking over the air. My father was snoring , totally dehydrated and starved. No I.V. To at minimum keep him hydrated. Saw a pack of Benadryl which is what I believed was administered OTC which was a huge contribution to his pain and suffering. This should never be given to elderly. He was given tv dinners - full of sodium and gluten, he had celiacs and people in the home made them for him. He was getting better in rehab until he returned home. I would like to know what kind of palliative care is this. I would also like to know why a nurse to 4 hours to show up and the people to take his body took over 6 hours. My father did not want to die and everything was just as he said it was when the animal feces and urine stains. Just disgusting a real nurse with a real oath did not report this. The smell was so strong.
Hospice is not there 24/7. Nurse maybe once a week. An aide for bathing 2 or 3 xs a week. Hospice provides the equipment, Depends, wipes, chux and medications needed. The family does most of the caregiving and are taught how to administer the Morphine and axiety meds. IVs would not be given in a home. If Dad had lost the ability to swallow no food or water should be given. This is a sign of the body shutting down.
I will say, if the living conditions were this bad, the Hospice Nurse could have called in APS. So thatvwould be a question for them. Keeping the house clean was not Hospices responsibility, though. That responsibility lies with the people caring for your father. When someone is on Hospice care in the home, Hospice usually tells the family that someone needs to be with the client 24/7.
The Nurse taking 4 hours is a question for Hospice. The Nurse pronounces death and then calls the funeral home of choice. So it really took the funeral home 2 hrs once contacted. So u need to call them to find out why it took them so long.
"My father did not want to die" Then why was he on Pallitive/Hospice care? Both are end of life care. No more life giving treatments or medications. No hospital or doctor visits.
It sounds like hospice and not palliative care and it’s not their job to clean up after the dogs who live in the house.
Hospice doesn’t make meals and feed them to people.
It sounds like whatever relative was caring for your dad is the one you need to talk to.
Hospice has nothing to do with what you are complaining about.
Come back and tell us more, thanks.
It is very unlikely that a Forum of strangers can make any assumptions or judgements about the care you describe.
I am assuming that you have made reports to the proper authorities, and I wish you peace in the knowledge your father is at rest.
This really has nothing to do with the hospice/palliative care he received, as I know from hearing my late husbands hospice nurses talk that some homes they had to go in were pretty nasty.
Hospice should have perhaps recommended towards the end of your fathers life that he be moved to their hospice home/facility so he could die in better surroundings, and perhaps they did and your father refused or the person caring for him did. I guess we/you will never know the whole truth of the matter.
But know that your father is at peace now, and I hope and pray that you too will find some peace so you can now move forward.