I lost my Mother last Wednesday and I feel that Hospice is responsible. How is this happening?

Isn't giving medication to decrease pain, instead of attempting treatment, the whole point of hospice?

Hospice is not in the practice of overdosing people with medication; they are, however, in the practice of making people's end of life experience a whole lot less painful. It sounds like cancer ended your mother's life, not hospice. They just eased her into her final days with more comfort than she would have had without the medication. Ask yourself the following question when you feel distraught, thinking Hospice is responsible for your mother's passing: What did Hospice have to gain by doing such a thing? Their funding ends once the patient passes away. If anything, they would try to extend a person's life so they could keep getting paid by Medicare.

My deepest condolences over the loss of your mother, my friend.

I'm sorry about the loss of your mother. My LO is on hospice and I have asked them to provide her with any and all medication to help alleviate pain and suffering. It's not my desire to prolong her life, but, decrease her pain and suffering. Did they explain the dying process to you before she passed away? They provided me a booklet called Gone From My Sight. It helped prepare me for what to expect. I'm sorry that you feel that your LO went too soon.

My heart is broken for you. I took the liberty to look at your profile and you stated that your mom had cancer. I’m assuming now that she had end-stage cancer and hospice was called in. As others have said, hospice is meant to make the last days more comfortable. End stage cancers of all kinds can be extremely painful, so the ongoing dosing of medication was warranted and merciful. I wish that had been explained to you then. All hospice programs offer a bereavement program. I strongly advise you to reach out to them for this service. It can be a tremendous help in explaining and ultimately in the healing from such a devastating loss. I’m very sorry.

Tuwan,

I am sorry for your loss.
Before you place your anger and grief on Hospice, why don't you write out a more descriptive and informative post. We can't weigh in on something we have no knowledge of.

Most people who are on Hospice are expected to be dying, so the fact your mom did die while under Hospice care is not surprising.

Please come back. I can tell you need more information.

I am so sorry for your loss.  At the end, your mom may have been in excruciating pain.  Sometimes we have to go for the quality of life, not the quantity.

My mother died in the night at her home from end stage cancer, with me asleep on a trundle bed near her. The night before, she was in increasing pain and I called the visiting doctor service. The young doctor who came put her on a morphine driver. She spent most of the next day asleep, or conscious but very drowsy, including when our GP came to check her. I have always wondered if she was overdosed. But she was dying, it would only have been another day or two, and probably with pain and distress. Perhaps it hurried things along, but I cannot regret it. Please forgive everyone, including yourself. Love, Margaret

Tuwan, I'm so sorry for the loss of you Mother. Perhaps your understanding and expectation of what hospice is was misunderstood? Hospice isn't about curing people, its point is to provide the best quality of life for dying patients. Was the medication they were giving her morphine?

When my Father had cancer and was dying and not waking up, Hospice also gave my Father my morphine when he was dying. It is the humane thing to do. We put animals to sleep so they don't suffer. Hospice gives more medication so that the patient doesn't suffer. Please believe me when I say it is the humane thing to do!!! I meant to say MORE morpine when he was dying.

Hospice is a wonderful resource when a loved one is dying .They were wonderful with my husband . I’m pretty sure the hospice team knew what they doing with your Mom .So sorry for your loss .