I have posted on here many times and answered questions every now and then. Dad passed away Oct 7th 2013 from Liver Cancer . He was in a hospice facility for 11 days until he died. The day before he was admitted he was in the hospital and was talking,eating and very clear headed but his ammonia levels were high and he had been very combative, not eating and wouldn't take his meds for 4 days at his nursing home. ( He was in for a Psych Evaluation.) The hospice worker talked to me about admitting him instead of returning to the nursing home. I agreed to this and arrangements were made. He was transferred later that day and was alert and in good spirits. The next morning he was unresponsive and stayed that way until he passed. They gave him morphine and ativan around the clock. He never got any water but they did cleanse his mouth and moisten it with swabs. It seemed like he could hear me the first few days because I would shake his shoulder and say "dad". His eyes seemed to be moving under his eyelids and his mouth would move slightly. I did ask about them lowering his dosages so he could wake up a little. The nurse said he was getting a very small dosage already. I just wonder if the drugs made him unresponsive and if less was used he could have ate and drank and lived longer. I know it was time for him to go but I'm kinda puzzled about his going from complete alertness and straight into unresponsiveness so quick. The nurses did a Great job. I myself don't know how they do it. They treated dad like he was their baby. So gentle and compassionate. I was just wondering if anyone else had the feeling that death felt a little rushed once their loved one was placed in Hospice.
The organization was founded by a hospice nurse, turned whistleblower. Who saw these things happening and couldn't take it anymore.
Your statements that it contains information informing people of the hospice philosophy and Medicare guidelines, etc, is correct.
But, to down play the horror stories, and the fact the website exposes murders that are happening in hospices, and other care facilities, all across the country, is incorrect.
There are many writings contained on the website about the topic, authored by the founder, Ron Panzer. Including the very detailed book, "Stealth Euthanasia: Health Care Tyranny in America".
The book, "Restoring the Culture of Life".
(Both of these book are free to read, on the website, btw.)
As well as many, many other articles about hospice murders and the culture of death.
There is the timeline of the merging of the Euthanasia Society of America with the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
There is a link to lifetree.org (Life Tree). Which also contains a wealth of information about hospice murders.
As well as links to other websites which focus on this.
The organization does inform the public of how to find a good hospice. And they have never taken the stance that ALL hospices murder. But, that many do, and it is so widespread that it is happening in every state, of the United States.
I personally would have a hard time trusting any of them after what I have witnessed. We only have one in my area, which provides service to three counties. That is the one I have seen do the killing.
I am not affiliated with the Hospice Patients Alliance. I am only a supporter of their work, and I know the website from front to back.
It is a Prolife website, which focuses on not only informing the public of how a good hospice should behave and what they are entitled to under the hospice benefit. An even bigger part of their works goes to informing the public of the hidden dangers of hospice.
They are also patient advocates. There is a phone number on the site. They take phone calls daily, helping people get their loved ones out of deadly situations with hospices.
One of the broad members now has a radio show coving the topic, "Exposing Medical Predator, with Carly Walden".
Another, Vickie Travis, also does radio interviews, "The Vickie Travis Show", and also is the founder of "The Kaiser Papers".
I'm glad you looked at it and liked it. And again much of what you said about it is correct.
I just disagree with downplaying the fact that the organization exposes hospice, and other care facility, murders. When I know that is the purpose of the organization and why it was founded.
Please read the books, if you get a chance.
See, there's a difference between some 'long a** response'. Some are actually very informative and can keep my interest. While others,.. well, I start daydreaming as I read until eventually I just stop reading. Don't speak for others...
This is taken from PubMed.gov (US national library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health).
ABHR Gel in the Treatment of Nausea and Vomiting in the Hospice Patient.
"Hospice patients at the end stages of life often suffer nausea and vomiting, distressing symptoms that are either side effects of medications or direct effects of the underlying disease state. Such symptoms can greatly diminish the hospice patient's quality of life. Effective pharmacotherapy is available, but in many cases traditional dosage forms are incompatible with the patient's physical condition, cause discomfort, or are difficult for family members to administer.
In such cases, a compounded preparation containing lorazepam, diphenhydramine, haloperidol, and metoclopramide-commonly referred to as ABHR gel-has proven highly effective. A number of case reports are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of ABHR gel in relieving the symptoms of nausea and vomiting in hopice patients."
Why are you convinced that these relatively small dosages are LETHAL? They are NOT.
[For those who would like to know what these medications are:
Ativan- (Lorazepam-generic name), a benzodiazepine, anti anxiety drug),
Benadryl (diphenhydramine-an antihistamine-to dry up excess secretions),
Haldol (haloperidol-an antipsychotic)
Reglan (Metoclopramide-an antiemetic-helps with nausea).]
It also had this to say;
"Haloperidol is not approved for use in 'psychotic conditions' related to dementia. Haloperidol may increase the risk of death in older adults with dementia-related conditions."
I am a part time hospice nurse and we do not use this gel in my company. I have never given any Haldol to a dying patient.
In the cream,
Ativan 1 mg. is a regular adult dose (I take 1 mg. to fall asleep and stay asleep.)
Benadryl 12.5 mg is half to a quarter of a normal adult dose (I've taken 50 mg. for allergies.)
Haldol is the smallest dose available .5 mg.
Reglan 10 mg. is a normal adult dose.
Unless you are a compounding pharmacist, PLEASE don't tell people that these are lethal doses. You are wrong. I know you want to blame someone and condemn hospice but you can't use this as a reason.
I'm not saying all hospices are as good as the one I work for. There have been overdoses I'm sure, AS THERE HAVE BEEN in hospitals, nursing homes....anywhere medications are given by human beings. But, IN MOST CASES (97%), hospices are there to relieve pain and suffering by giving the lowest dose possible. The dose is increased when the patient no longer has pain relief from the smaller dose.
Are you aware that the doctor's order can be a sliding scale or multiple strengths ordered (meaning that if the patient needs less, the nurse can give less, if the patient needs more, (s)he can give more?)
I firmly believe that no one needs to nor should sign up their loved ones if the hospice has ANY infractions against them. If you choose not to enroll your loved one, even in a highly rated hospice, I would hope that you WOULD have pain relieving medications available, should your loved one need them.
I doubt you have seen the deaths I have over my 39 year career. Whether in hospice or not, NO ONE deserves to die in pain. Not you, Prolife, not ANYONE.
And I'll scream that from the mountain tops. Give the dying who are in pain, a comfortable passing with pain medications, regardless of who's giving them!
Now I'm waiting for the "flood gates" to open! ;)
Then after, we got a copy of the insurance bill and were outraged!
Nothing was done for him!
Has anyone else experienced such lack of care ?
Check my profile for resources on what you have witnessed with hospice.
No comment on my post?
Do you see your error?
Would you like to retract your statement?
It's people like you who spread lies without having the facts. The sad part is that, until proven wrong, innocent people believe you.
You have every right to not like hospice. You can scream it from the rooftops but check your facts BEFORE you post.
I have better things to do, than to go back and forth, with a hospice industry keyboard warrior, doing damage control for the industry.
I'm not reading your long, drawn out misleading post, because it would be a waste of my time.
My only purpose is to warn people and get the hidden truth out there.
People can check the resources I have recommended to confirm anything I have said or anything they, themselves have witnessed.
If anyone wants more information about the cream, it was talked about on the second episode of, "Exposing Medical Predators, with Carly Walden".
I stand by everything I say, and I'll never change my mind.
"Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.” by Albert Einstein
I'm not here to debate.
Some people feel Hospice made their love one die quickly, and usually those cases the family waited until the very last minute to call in Hospice. So, of course, the time table would already be toward the end of life.
You have a choice, you can watch a love one wither in pain without Hospice, or you can watch a love one be peacefully at sleep with no feeling of pain. Personally, I would take the latter. What would be your choice?
[I am not associated with any Hospice group nor never been. It is from knowledge I learned by asking questions of the Hospice group for my elderly parents, and from other information from expert groups such as the National Institute of Health, etc].
There are other options besides hospice. Such as home health, which also provides pain management, and as far as I know, they do not kill.
When hospice sedates someone, thereby, denying them access to food and water, it is euthanasia.
The person I saw this done to was not having any pain that constituted sedation.
She was not having pain from dying. Her pain was from a broken arm.
The fact that she was being kept sedated because of pain from her broken arm was not hid from us.
She died seven days later of dehydration. This is murder. And there are hundreds of other accounts, in hospice programs, all across the country, that are the same or similar.
I know hospice kills, and you will never convince me otherwise, with your verbatim, hospice damage control verbiage.
Please, please note that when a person is on the dying journey that their organs start to shut down. It would be extremely painful to give someone food as it would just sit in the stomach as the stomach isn't digesting... and liquid will sit in the kidneys.
Was this in the hospital? I posted my mom who was on Hospice in the hospital, GI doc "visited" and billed insurance, even though she no longer was using a feeding tube. This can (and sometimes does) happen.
That is exactly what they did. I'm so sorry. This is horrifying that they can do this and get away with it!
Please visit the Hospice Patients Alliance website for help, and look at my profile for other resources.
"I asked the question because my brother accused me of putting dad in hospice and letting the staff over medicate him so he would die quicker. I then did a little research on that subject on the internet and found that some people believe that like he does. I am a member of this group so where better for me to get input of all kinds on this subject. It has informed and enlightened me as I read the responses. When I want an answer to something I ask. That is all it was.. a question. No blame, nothing. The staff treated dad like he was their own. For that I will be eternally grateful. I was his only caregiver for 4 yrs and finally I had someone to share the load with me and they did. Overall, the experience was very peaceful for me and hopefully for my dad too. I have informed my son that hospice is where I want to be when my time to leave this earth nears."
Up to 30% of Americans believe airplanes are spraying "chemtrails" to make people sick or control people's minds.
There is even a growing movement of people that believe the earth is flat.
So I'm not really surprised at the all-out conspiracy-oriented paranoia some people experience around hospice care.
Some people are so determined to find human fault, that they don't want to understand the science behind the process of death, or the science of how medications may ease the symptoms of dying. They just want to stick their fingers in their ears and continue to believe what they want to believe.
Such a pity.