In case you missed Mr. Olbermann’s passionate plea on the eve of the health care reform summit, you can see it here online. He tells how he came to the studio that day from his father’s hospital bedside. His father, having endured test after test and treatment after treatment, was still in anguish, and silently mouthed the words, “Help” and “Kill me.”

Mr. Olbermann then advocates – strongly – for patients to have the right to get counsel from their doctors about end-of-life options, and allowing doctors to be compensated for their time to have these invaluable discussions.

"Betsy McCaughey (op-ed columnist and former Lieutenant Governor of New York) told people that this conversation about life and death and relief and release...she told people that's a death panel…,” Mr. Olbermann said. “…It's a life panel. A life panel. It can save the pain of the patient and the family.”

"So considering that if he does not recover you will not see me here for a while, I have some requests," he later concludes. "Please, have this conversation with your loved ones. Don't wait. Do it now… And to the politicians who go into Blair House tomorrow, for that summit, I have some requests as well. Leave your egos at the door. I want, I demand that you give everybody in this country a chance at the care my father has gotten. And I demand that you enact this most generous and kind aspect of the reform proposed, the right to bill the damned insurance company for the conversation about what to do when the time comes. The life panel.”

The entire video clip is more than 13 minutes long. It’s filled with much more detail and emotions than you can read here. If you haven’t seen it, try to find the time to do so. And let’s hope we can continue to add our voices, and many others, to this most reasonable demand. And even more so, let’s hope that our government will listen.

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As we close the month of February, Black History Month, it’s a good time to think about your outreach strategies to African Americans. Only 8% of hospice users are African Americans. Gloria Thomas Anderson, MSW, an African American international author and motivational speaker, believes that long held cultural beliefs and historical mistrust of the health care system are the main concerns for African Americans.

She has written a booklet, now being used by Kansas City Hospice, which has a long formal sounding title. "The African American Spiritual and Ethical Guide to End of Life Care" is the title but the subtitle really reflects the conversational, not clinical, approach she used in the booklet. The subtitle is “What Y’all Gon’ Do with Me?”

Meeting each patient where they are, mentally and emotionally (taking the time to explain exactly the patient's choices in what you're "going to do with" them) can go a long way to ease fears and gain acceptance.

Even though the hospice movement in the U.S. is 30 years old, explaining its benefits, costs, eligibility and services is an ongoing effort and tailoring your messages to your particular audience is essential.

For more information on the booklet you can email the author at Gloria@hearttones.com.

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February 15, 2010

The Amazing Spirit of Hospice Volunteers

Provided by Stan Massey, 10:48 am
Without a doubt, all of you involved with hospice care can point with admiration to your volunteers – and tell any number of stories about their dedication and compassion.

One such story appeared recently in the St. Petersburg Times. This particular story featured an 81-year-old volunteer named Ron Smith, who serves at HPH Hospice Care Center in Spring Hill, Florida. The media picked up on a human interest angle – Mr. Smith befriended a patient, Wilbur Rollins, who also was 81 and, as it turned out, had served in the same Airborne Division as Mr. Smith at the end of World War II. Mr. Rollins confided to Mr. Smith that he had misplaced his beloved Silver Wings from the division years ago. So when Mr. Rollins passed away, Mr. Smith gave his own prized Silver Wings to Mrs. Rollins, who gratefully had them buried with her husband.

A touching story, indeed. But I was equally impressed by a couple of quotes from Mr. Smith, because they seem to capture the spirit of hospice volunteers everywhere: “I don’t want anyone to be alone when they’re dying,” Mr. Smith said. “At the hospice house, people are treated with dignity, their families are provided comfort. That’s why I’m here.” And later he added, “I get so much more out of them than they get out of me.”

What amazing stories about your volunteers stand out in your mind? Please share them by posting comments here. And better still, also share them with your local media. The press just might publish such stories for your community, and help spread the word about the compassionate care of your hospice.

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