In this political season*, I recall President John Kennedy’s familiar, famous line from his inaugural: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
What about this version:
Ask not what your hospice can do for you, but ask what you can do for your hospice.
Now, wait just a New York minute . . .
Isn’t hospice supposed to do it all for you, as patient, as caregiver? Most hospice patients have spent a lifetime paying for Medicare. The nurses and other support staff on the hospice “team” are paid for, right? The medications for the terminal illness are covered in the hospice benefit, right? The equipment brought to your home—hospital-style bed, commode, oxygen, and more—are part of the deal, right?
Why should a caregiver or patient ask, What can I do for hospice?
What a crock!
Now that I’ve irked you, let me try to explain by briefly focusing on my ABCs of hospice care.
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