Does hospice speed up the death of our loved ones?

I feel I need to add to this question. My mother has passed and I feel that hospice of Alamance Co did her more harm than good. My mother had taken a fall and was taken to Alamance regional hospital. They checked her out cat scan and other test. We were informed this 90 year old woman had a UTI gave use a prescription and sent her on her way!! Mistake no. 1....... Less than 24 hours later she is incoherent and unable to walk. Let's remember also this lady also has dementia but was strong walking talking dancing and singing before the UTI and the fall. We took her by ambulance back to hospital and they began IV and antibiotics for the UTI. She bounces back in a few days and we take her home on a Tuesday. Even tho she is still now on a walker and unsteady on her feet we take her to a follow up with her family dr the following day. He in forms us that the hospital has reported to him she had pneumonia. We had no idea and no one had told us this!!!!! He orders other mess and we take her home. By Friday she is again unresponsive and again we take her by ambulance back to hospice. Now she has almost completely stopped eating and she can no longer walk. Still very little information on exactly what is going on. We ask for a family meeting with dr and in comes hospice!!!! Cutting to the chase we took her home under hospice care!! Or palliative care not sure which never explained either. Mama was eating very little but still drinking and they begin adavan...... I was told to stop all past meds which were only her dementia med and vitamins she was actually very active and happy before all this even tho she didn't know us she understood she just couldn't remember. Once the adavan started she never spoke to us again.... Morphine was also introduced. My mama never cried out or had any pain except a 5 second cry out when we changed her or turned her . Now all she did was sleep..... she stopped all food intake and now didn't even have enough sense to even swallow water. She was so drugged. Never cried out or showed any sign of pain or agitation. So my question to them was why are we drugging her. If she does have any problems she is too drugged to know. Also hospice in formed us the 1st week they came in ...... a nurse ... a CNA and a social worker that due to corona virus they would not be coming in that everything would be by phone!!! We have CNA's in the family so mamas bathing care and changing was not a issue but the rash she developed was a issue .... she was covered all over her body with a rash we tried to send them pics of it but we were notified that they could not take pics so we began the guessing game that none of their guesses worked. We finally hired a RN to just come and take a look.... she had a yeast infection between her legs that was fire red..... the RN told us what to ask hospice for to take care of it and they did call it in and with in 2 doses it was all cleared up. Now mama is totally drugged not eating not talking not drinking and I realize try goggle and study that her digestive system has shut down. I realize we at the end and I'm now waiting for her kidneys to go. Her urine had been the color of coke since her days in the hospitol so I know now that she's taking in no food or drink kidneys would now shut down. They did and then I waited 1 day for her heart and lungs to go. Calls were made to hospice that were not even returned so I call the social worker ... she informs me she is not a nurse and to read the blue book!!!!!!!!!!!! I know what the blue book said I told her and all I need to know is do I at this point increase her morphine to insure she ha she no pain because at this point I know we are done and their is nothing else to do....... we never got that call back my mom died that night at 9:58 pm with all her children around her.

You don't give any information other then your loved one died and you apparently blame hospice for speeding up her death??? NO WAY!!! Hospice care is to provide comfort only during the last days (or months) of life. They do not offer curative care.

What were your expectations? In what way do you think hospice contributed to your mother's "early" demise? She was 90 years old with recurring UTIs. I'm not trying to be harsh but your "forever anger" is misplaced. Be thankful for her 90 years.

My experience with hospice was absolutely wonderful. My wife was in hospice care for 15 months. Even when she fell into a coma, the hospice nurses massaged her arms and legs, combed her hair, sponged bathed her, changed her, checked for bed sores, and more. This went on for two weeks. Hastened her death? Don't think so.

I’m sorry for your loss. Having a mom live 90 years is a blessing, there are many of us that wish we’d had that long. I genuinely hope you’ll find peace and have the memories of good times with your mother bring you comfort. Being “ForeverAngry” is a horrible way to live, and I really want you to get to a place of choosing better than that. I wish you well

This is a question asked alot. No, Hospice does not hasten death. It makes the person comfortable. Morphine is not only given for pain but to help with breathing. Sometimes to help elevate the pain, the person sleeps most of the time. When the body starts to shut down it can no longer take in water or food. It does more harm to do so. No extrodinary measures are taken when on Hospice. Your profile said the person was 90. Thats a long life. Be happy knowing he/she lived a long life and had people who loved and cared for them.

If hospice could speed up the death of my mthr, who is unable to walk, talk more than a word, feed herself, have awareness of toileting needs, or even know who any one is, who suffers with painful arthritis in her knees and has bedsores with excrutiating pain, I am sure they would have done that by now since she's been on hospice for more than 2.5 years total (not continuous).

If you mean, at the very end of life, do the drugs that hospice use cause the patient to die more quickly than if they were unmedicated? The drugs hospice uses reduce fear and anxiety and dry up secretions while reducing pain. That will mean my mthr will not struggle to keep alive, not struggle to keep breathing because of her fear of drowning in her own secretions, not struggle with her pain in her legs because they are not quite right, not struggle because of the pain on her butt bedsore that hurts every time she is shifted...

Sure, you can struggle against these things when you are dying if you want that extra five or ten minutes - or hours - of terror. But please medicate me and allow me to have a good death. Hospice is authorized only if death will come soon, when there is no more hope.

Hospice benefits financially by keeping people alive, not by hastening their death. God bless every hospice worker and volunteer. Please, let me go when it is my turn.