Mum was starting to come around and was noticeably breathing again. Im an only child. Seriously? Dying the Christian Science way: the horror of my fathers last days Jean died in October after 13 months on home hospice. A Letter to Myself After the Death of My Father - The Atlantic But we were told a palliative expert would be at my fathers bedside if he needed it. I couldnt imagine watching my three young kids grow, graduate, fall in love and start families of their own without my mothers help and guidance. Some of these excessive dosages resulted in significant injury or death. To add to this case study pool, my mother (70) was killed by a UK hospice last week through the method of dehydration and starvation, made possible by use of an intravenous morphine syringe driver and continuous injection of sedatives through an arm port. The state Department of Aging. A new government-sponsored website called Hospice Compare will soon include ratings of different agencies, which will ideally inspire some to raise their game. WebHe died on 20 April 2004. Sue Riggle is the administrator for the McCaslands' hospice agency and says she understands how much help patients with dementia need. I had help, though, from my wonderful cousins Chris, Caroline and their son Ben and my incredibly selfless and kind girlfriend Lisa. Also, I began taking VNA up on that 24/7 promise they had made. She had lost weight, but she was strong in herself and determined. Or they just thought they knew better than me and did not respect my opinion to keep fighting naturally without dehydration and starvation. And she was present and fairly lucid and I got to tell her everything I wanted to tell her. I am an attorney and I am not through with this company and will pursue justice and try to prevent this from happening to others. I managed to come back after a few day's with my daughter's and they are horrified at what they see. His pain was not terrible, so a low dose of oxycodone the only painkiller they gave us seemed to suffice. Like I said, hospice workers are a rare breed. Hospice Almost Killed My Father Who is Not Terminal User Name: Remember Me: Password : Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! They ruined our lives and our Dads services were never given to him so that they could keep us from telling the truth to everyone. Jean McCasland's husband hasn't complained. The next day after sleeping on the side outside of our home for 10 years a sheriff blocked our driveway for what latter we concluded was for a unlawful restraining order. Once he went to hospice, he was never given anything for his terrible pain and my aunt believes he was simply "allowed to die" -- one of their favorite phrases. At 7 p.m. on the night before my fathers last day of life, his abdominal pain spiked. Apparently, the lower spine bones got squished together which caused pain. Kaiser Health News discovered there had been 3,200 complaints against hospice agencies across the country in the past five years. At my father's bedside, I learned what death looks like So my sister and I experimented with Ativan and more oxycodone, then fumbled through administering a dose of morphine that my mother found in a cabinet, left over from a past hospital visit. They, along with my siblings not only starved her and restricted fluids but were on some kind of pathetic mission to hasten my mothers death right under my nose. And that's the direction the health care system is moving, too, hoping to avoid unnecessary and expensive treatment at the end of life. How do you envision it? That was the worst mistake made. She even tried to bite me. A tragic end. It was the most heartbreaking and real experience of my life. Rest in peace Dad, at least you are no longer being abused at their hands. WebTo add to this case study pool, my mother (70) was killed by a UK hospice last week through the method of dehydration and starvation, made possible by use of an To sign off, I confirm that at no time did we request that my Mum be taken from us via this wicked and distressing form of euthanasia. Its a crushing burden, it would seem to me. Hospice Hospice and the Death Cults of Modern Medicine, Hospice Revisited: This Time With An Undercover Recording Device, 'The Cancer Report' Documentary from Health Wyze Media, Audio: Modern Euthanasia and Colloidal Silver (Episode 38), Tragic Letters From the Families of Hospice Victims, If U.S. Healthcare Had a Truly Free Market. They took all of his medicine away when he was fine the day before. The idea that hospice care could abuse and neglect patients when they are at their most vulnerable, or exploit them for unjust enrichment, is repellent. He ran out of 'insurance days' and 'Hospice' was the only BS option left. The new company was quickly on board. Last year she was put into hospice and I still am not sure why. The fact that folks I respected who had recently gone through the loss of a parent all recommended VNA made it an easy call. And I'm sure it was the lowest point for my mother as well. And that really is the way I applied it to me; Youre okay as you are; how can I help you suffer less?. Or take the case of Larry Johnsons 87-year-old mother, who had dementia. My story began 4 years ago when my father passed. Our first call went out to a local hospice care provider. They will blame the disease and not the overmedicating, starvation and dehydration protocol. He does not want hospice no matter what. That same hospice woman and I remember her name well that same woman without our knowledge took our mom who was then 80 to the courthouse and she lied and said she was a family freind for years and that I was acting angry.And I was but not in a threatening manner. Day Four, her final day, started at 9.00am with me being denied access to her room. Such residences often resemble a nursing home, with private rooms where family and friends can come and go and with round-the-clock medical attention just down the hall. My grandfather had metastasized prostate cancer so he was terminal. But we must take steps to prevent both the very human toll and the economic toll that hospice fraud takes. I give him such a look. denied the funeral parlor Becker funeral parlor who also illegally cremated my mother suspicoulsy locked in her room in sunrise NO visitors allowed under the son and varnum ; cremated her NO abilyt ot view her remains NOW my fahter ND HIS priest reported how his wishes for a catholic viewong and mass priorr to cematoini ALSO I called the DOH dept of health wqhich was MY rioght thehy opened a case as " starrving my dad over dosing him and no eye glasses hearing aides such reported twice" the Lawyer wrote a letter DUE TO BRENDA calling the DEPT OF heath She upset the LEGAL counsel fo Valley hospice IN Paramus NJ the legal counsel and and the supervisor an RN joanna hanna : so NOW JOHN Sheehy my dad WILL HAVE NO VISITS as he clearly stasted " I DO NOT know why your father is dying .. dont care and also was stated to Father PAUL NO VISITS for JOHN : he needs ot die alone ; : SO HE DIEs alone NO ONE by his side with a sign over his heaD He was now unconscious due to medicatoins morphine and sedatives every 3.4 hours aide confirmed ; DO NOT FEED HIM ONLY HOSPICE MEDS SUNRISE also attaempted to haVe ME SIGN as this lawyer KNEw sign a " Euthanasia contract " IF YOU feed him or ask about his med YOU wil be asked ot leavE on JLY 9 i gaVe that to polkcie they wenet in for a safety check : THEY deny this ; well here is the contract the officer was kind that is when they started wiht laxative supposoitories all on record ' FROM jluy 5-19 that is what was DONE by a judge 3 lawyers hsi son colleen varnum adn hospice valley hospice who raged as recorded at me on phone just prior to july that july 3 and 4 and for a year MY DAD and I are chatting on phone laughing LOVE YOU BRENDA MISS YOU ; see you soon YES dad I will bring you food they were denying him food the sunrise lied and even attemtped to put him in a psych hospittal : it was so evil WE threatned to sue MY DAD was with his aides and i was outside of window he fell i heard it ; the lawyer wright robert and colleen varnum lied stated " as my dad is heard " I am ok ' and the aides pickiing him UP " they were oof site ' they wrote more lies " HE was in the hallway ( blind deaf using a walder cannot see as they refsued my pleas to JUST give me the scripto for his eye glasses nad his broken hearing aids i will pay and replace NO ) that my dad was in hallway beating up residents ; THE ENTIRE facilyt was ON LOCK DOWN NO ONE COULD LEAVE THEIR APT .. Exclusive analysis of biotech, pharma, and the life sciences. At its extreme, sepsis can also lead to dangerously low blood pressure. I didn't know ANYTHING about hospice before. The hospice nurse showed up only afterward, to officially document the death. I of course did not want to believe. WebMorphines reputation as a killer underscores one of the more persistent myths surrounding hospice care, namely, that it serves as a grey market euthanasia service for the We could come she did. PLEASE DONT TAKE YOUR FATHER OR MOTHER OR ELDER FAMILY MEMBERS TO HOSPICE. It must be incredibly sad to live this way, I thought. By the 28th of December, she was having difficulty getting to the restroom and her shortness of breath was getting worse. "When you consider the amount of money that's involved, perhaps they would provide somebody around the clock," he says. I told my friend that I wasnt sure what had just happened, but that I was going to try and talk to mom. MOST of our senior citizens are over medicated. My job is to understand that the best I can, fix it when its fixable and curable, address it to the best that I can, but also know that even though technically adequate, sometimes medical treatment can be the source of suffering, also.. My dad still had pain at that time because of his BACK, NOT BECAUSE OF CANCER. Claremont resident and palliative and hospice care Dr. Timothy Dauwalder was the physician in charge of my mothers care. Until last year, hey found my dad's cancer by Justice over a year ago Blake Farmer's reporting on end-of-life care is part of a reporting fellowship on health care performance, sponsored by the Association of Health Care Journalists and supported by the Commonwealth Fund. In a North Texas case, nurses allegedly gave high doses of drugs such as morphine, regardless of whether patients needed it, to justify receiving the higher hospice payments. In what I now see as moms final gift to us, she had about an hour of lucidity two nights before she died. How often you administer it and the dosage vary depending upon the means of administration. We got her enrolled, they brought in tables and chairs and machines and pills. My The rate that hospice charges Medicare drops a bit after the patient's first two months on the benefit. It was so obvious by this time they were all in on it. WebMy father spent 10 days dying. Morphine, every 20 minutes? I pushed past them to get into the room, so eager was I to see how she was and to carry out my plan of giving her fluids. Our investigation in her case yielded results: The owner of that hospice company received a 6-1/2-year federal prison sentence for running an elaborate, $20 million hospice scheme that signed up patients who were not dying. Shocked by this the caregiver and I would bring food. He wasn't in pain or anything. Its been almost a year now and she is still alive!! Some Hospices are Killing Patients: One In the bones is NOT where you want that cancer to have progressed. Usually, hospice care is offered in the home, or sometimes in a nursing home. Horrible, horrible place. But it wasnt up to me. Medicare beneficiaries who elect hospice care should receive high-quality services, and hospices should act with integrity when billing government health programs. I travelled with Mum to the hospice in an ambulance. My father died in 2002, and even then Id only known him for the last 10 years of his life. Medicare says hospice benefits can include home health aides and homemaker services. He had cancer and did not complain about it, despite the fact that he had it. My dad's DEATH was definitely induced by the last Hospice team that entered our home. "It is comfortable for them. Hospice care workers are with people at their most intimate, vulnerable moments of their lives. Almost immediately the syringe driver was introduced, coupled with the sedatives (which they said was need as she was 'agitated'). Now, she wants to make sure her children don't do the same for her. A Good Life And A Good Death: What Is Palliative Care? And I seriously doubt it. I spent the next few minutes with my mom, holding her hand and talking to her. A friendly volunteer met us at the doors and filled us with confidence. His voice is jolly and tipsy. Guest Until last year, hey found my dad's cancer unfortunately came back but it wasn't a dangerous stage yet. Because of the huge strain I had with my siblings I came every other week while the non-hospice caregiver was there.This caregiver opened my eye's to many things and in the beginning I dismissed them. hospice In a Medicare-sponsored survey, fewer than 80 percent of people reported getting timely care from hospice providers, and only 75 percent reported getting help for symptoms.. life expectancy of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. "It does take a toll" on families, says Katherine Ornstein, an associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, who studies what typically happens in the last years of patients' lives. She went over their Medicare-funded services, including weekly check-ins from a nurse and 24/7 emergency oversight by a doctor. There was no cause for a restraining order what so ever and the bogus charge was dismissed and dropped to a disturbing the peace that we were forced into signing so that we could leave this town in fear for our own safety. She recently sat them down, she says, to make sure they handle her death differently. Even when hospice took over, he still found he needed the extra help from Karrie Velez (center). For the last six months my mom only ate when the non-hospice caregiver and I were there and was not given food while my siblings were there. I was making plenty of crazy noise, but no assistance came from the medical team. I know it is hard to lose a Perhaps my Mum would have lived a few days, a few weeks or a few months more if she had not been killed in this artificial way, who knows, but it is my belief that, whilst we should use all the means at our disposal to ease suffering, only God (or mother nature if you don't share my faith) has the right to call time on a person's life and that we are entering dangerous territory when a medical professional has the power to make and effect such decisions themselves. "That's our situation.". My sister begins to administer morphine. Editor's Note: We reported about the horrors and the cult of death worship within the organization that is known as Hospice in previous reports. She was overmedicated and dehydrated to death as quickly as possible. I reached out to the hospice folks to see if they could be more attentive and adjust her meds. I could never buy in. Hospice care is primarily for patients with terminal illnesses, but hospices do accept patients who are otherwise ill. My father was in home hospice last year and was recently re-admitted. Conditions Physical Therapists Treat That You May Not Be Aware Of, Clinton The Daughter, Clinton The Mother: A Closer Look At Hillary's Family Relationships, Feeding Tubes for Dementia Patients May Become a Thing of the Past, Fatherhood: The Dad's Role During Pregnancy, Hallucinations And False Ideas In Dementia: Causes And Treatment. Enough time has passed since then that the mental fog she experienced while managing his medication and bodily fluids mostly by herself has cleared, she says. Another aunt was at the hospital with him when he said, "I guess they [doctors] think they've done all they can for me." my sweet mother passed under the care of hospice, my two siblings and a non-hospice caregiver. It is FREE! The two were by Jean's side and had been there for several days straight when she died in October. Her oncologist found the cancer had spread to her ribs and spine and suggested she begin hospice care. CMS should take steps to tie payments to patient care needs and quality of care, rather than the current approach of paying a flat rate regardless of how many services a hospice provides, which can create incentives to minimize services and seek patients with uncomplicated needs. When checking his credentials, I learned that he was a graduate of a Mexican Medical School whose accreditation was so dubious that the school's graduates are banned from entering residencies in the State of New York. I arrived Christmas morning to pick her up and she was uncharacteristically disheveled, sitting on her sofa with her blouse unbuttoned-an alarming situation as she was always so well-coiffed and put together breathless just from trying to dress herself. Nursing homes are just as bad. Our youngest sister was also lost due to hospice and I dont know if hospice had her authorization neither. One more thing, maybe two! By this time, my father had slipped into a coma without our noticing; we were thankful his pain was over but heartbroken he wouldnt hear our goodbyes. Convinced it was a hospice murder, Martin started calling anyone who would listen, asking them to investigate: Her local district attorney. Im the first person to say we cant take away all suffering, and the inevitability of death and the inevitability of suffering is real, and there are magnitudes to that. She was talking last night but the Hospice nurse gave morphine to a family member and is having them give so much every hour. On the night before my dad passes away. Thats because after hearing for years about the unnecessary medicalization of most hospital deaths, I had called an in-home hospice agency to usher him off this mortal coil, as my literary father still liked to say at 83. 0n the way back to her house that day I told her how glad I was to see her so happy. But what I could promise or I thought I could was that he would not be in pain at the end of his life. My moms life was hers. Many locations WILL NOT do an autopsy if under "hospice" care. Unlike working in a medical office or hospital, there is no immediate physical support system on which to rely. She told us we should double his dose of oxycodone, but that made no difference. Wed been on the phone quite a while when she asked if she could speak to mom. How to get justice from Hospice killing my mother? Because taxpayers bankroll poor care and fraud through the Medicare hospice benefit, policymakers need to take immediate action to implement safeguards against fraud, waste, and abuse of this important benefit. He was as healthy as Jack Lalain. "Coordination and cooperation with federal, state and local law enforcement officials on mutual drug enforcement efforts ." ". My dad could do everything but walk. I feel completely destroyed by what has happened and I am determined to bring this subject to wider attention in the UK. Again, if your father was not eligible for hospice, it was his doctor who dropped the ball. He died of prostate cancer in their bedroom in 1993. When my father left Hospice to go to Saint Raphael For some who have gone through home hospice with a loved one, the difficult experience has led them to choose otherwise for themselves. Fewer Americans these days are dying in a hospital under the close supervision of doctors and nurses. This caused them to be very angry and hostile and they took it out on my mom in various ways. My siblings decided to take care of our mom. Hospice care: the story of a mothers passing, https://vnasocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/vnasc-logo.png, VNA Hospice & Palliative Care of Southern California, https://vnasocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/support-vnasc.jpg, Copyright All Rights Reserved | VNA Hospice & Palliative Care of Southern California 2018, Charitable Care Program Makes a Difference, Claremont Courier Talks with VNAs Dr. Dauwalder. This was 8 years ago. "I'm not anti-hospice at all," says Joy Johnston, a writer from Atlanta. I am disgusted by the way they are getting away with this medical euthanasia and murder. "Our long-term-care system in this country is really using families unpaid family members," she says. Your numbers look great, the doctor says, beaming at my father who is hunched in his wheelchair. A weekly digest of our opinion column, with insight from industry experts. On the first full day in the hospice, Day One (Saturday), things seemed to be okay, but I was only able to stay for the morning as I had to go off on a 300-mile round trip, returning to the hospice the following lunchtime. ---------- We got to my house and got her oxygen sorted. "I think everybody wishes we could provide the sitter-service part of it," says Riggle. I was told by the NH staff that she was being fed her other meals, though my mother said that she had nothing to eat or drink all day. The solution may have to come from consumer advocacy and better regulation from Medicare itself. We also found that patients and their families often do not receive crucial information to make informed decisions about hospice care. I am told she will breath easier. Ultimately, even without pain relief, he was probably more comfortable in his own home, tended by his children, doing our best. Jean died in October after 13 months on home hospice. Joanne M. Chiedi is the principal deputy inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services. Mom and I had hoped her hospice care team would help to make her last days as pain-free as they could be. Now my younger Brother is sick from a mysterious illness also and hospice wants him two. My father died an hour later. "If you don't, she will just spit them out," Velez says. He wanted CARE, not to be discarded. But he (the doctor) was glad my dad was receiving the type of care he was getting from the team. His primary nurse, who doubled as case worker, was kind and empathetic. I noticed changes in her. Even now, I believe hospice is a better option than a sterile hospital death under the impersonal watch of shift nurses wed only just met. Both are kind, friendly, caring and, as a plus for my mom, spiritually minded. They found he had some kind of pneumonia and was sent to another hospital for treatment for about 2-3 weeks. I called the switchboard again, and it took three hours for a new nurse to come. I can't believe I'm reading all these horrible posts about Hospice now. Coneigh Sea is a social worker from Murfreesboro, Tenn., who cared for her husband as he died on home hospice. There are many things I've left out from this report, points about lack of basic care (like how the hospice staff never washed or brushed her hair, never cleaned her teeth, never changed her catheter bag, never washed her face, never allowed her ripple bed to be turned on to alleviate her bed sores etc). I may have end stage COPD BUT I AM NOT CRAZY BUT THE SYSTEMS SURE ARE! She doesn't regret the experience but says it is not one she wishes for her own grown children. But Cathy was there to talk about faith with mom in the final months of her life, and I think it was really good for her. My brother remarks by saying Gatorade has lots of nutrients and vitamins. My dad had Parkinson and experienced a urinary tract infection approximately 2 to 3 times a year. This too was rough for me to hear. "We really have to expand in general our approach to supporting caregivers," Ornstein says, noting that some countries outside the U.S. pay for a wider range and longer duration of home health services. Medical aid in dying, an end-of-life care option that only is available to terminally ill adults in California, nine other states and Washington, I couldnt promise that the book hed been working on would ever be published. My sweet mom passed away January 8 at the relatively young age of 74. I cannot bring my my sweet mom back but I can inform people to beware before they commit to hospice. When he came back home, hospice called and told us about their program and how they help patients with a long term illness and their pain. Methadone withdrawl from being on Hospice care. Mom wasnt doing well. Im just tired, honey, she said to me shortly after making her decision. -Mick Rhodes It's not like he was well, but I wonder what would have happened if I had kept him out of hospice. I was angry about my Father a Great man who hated to take asprin for a headach he would take one baby asprin. Hospice killed my mother slowly , mom was put on hospice by the choices program and dr Whorley because they said mom was in the hospital to many times with asperating nemonia,after 3 days of no eating or drinking I rushed mom back to the hospital because Amedsis Hospice was not helping her. She had been heavily sedated for a week. I considered making a complaint in the days after my dads death, but frankly we were just too sad. She stopped talking by this time but was still engaged in every way. MORPHINE is what they told us to give my dad. I wish I knew about this earlier so I could save my dad. In a couple of days, my Mum went from being an alert and keen communicator to being unresponsive, almost comatose individual. I am happy to say we did ask for an investigation. The list of care given fraudulent. RUN do not walk away when they recommend hospice, your loved one will be gone in days. Quite often its not what you would hope or envision.. But an inpatient facility is rarely an option, she says. Each morning, nurse's aide Karrie Velez pulverizes McCasland's medications in a pill crusher and mixes them into her breakfast yogurt. I couldnt even promise hed find out who won the baking show that season. "While it was difficult for me to witness, I knew what to do," she says. If you want to get notified by every reply to your post, please register. Did hospice rush your loved ones death? - AgingCare.com the nurses just do diagnosis over the phone. I wish I found out about this earlier. They did. But I loved her, so of course Id support her wishes. Fraud, waste, and abuse in the Medicare hospice program is Congress should give CMS the authority to hold poor performing hospices accountable and take swift action when warranted. WebDad passed away Oct 7th 2013 from Liver Cancer . "That was the lowest point. A typical dose would be to administer morphine IM about every 3-4 hours. It has become more common, it seems. She collapsed into a foetal position, never awoke from this, and died exactly where she was 11 hours later. I used a sponge to introduce water to her lips and mouth. I would go from wanting to expose them all to not doing a thing but I started to empower myself and began reading all I could on hospice abuse. The physical realities of dying are messy. It was nice to be able to give her that, after all she gave me. Unable to get any fluids into her, I quizzed the medical team hard at the hospice. It was a primal thing that came from a deep place. But in time I came to respect and accept her choice. But what I have to keep in mind is everybody has the same need and the same want: comfort and safety. I don't think I could manage, stay sane, if my job guaranteed me that every single customer I had, Hospice Almost Killed My Father Who is Not Terminal (Medicaid, in home, friend) - Caregiving -Caretakers, elderly care, nursing homes - Page 3 - City-Data Forum I did receive a card with their signatures about two weeks after his funeral. Since the mid-1990s, Medicare has allowed the hospice benefit to cover more types of diagnoses, and therefore more people.