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NURS3910 MENTAL HEALTH NURSING

HOSPICE
Grading Rubric

STUDENT NAME: ______________________________________________________

DATE_________________________________________________________________

Your
Score:
1 Write an Introductory paragraph. (1)

2 Research is current (last 10 years), professional source and relevant to hospice.

Must have a minimum of two references. (1)
(your text may not be used as a reference)
3 The body of the paper will summarize the objectives and reference(s) will be
integrated in the paper. (4)
4 Conclude with a paragraph, which discusses the most important thing you
learned from the experience. (1)

5 Use APA format. (1.5)

6 Proof paper for typographical errors sand correct writing mechanics. (1)

7 Typed and double spaced, 3 pages not including title page, reference list and
rubric.(Minimum of two references) Place the rubric on top of the cover
page .5)

Your Total Score:

GRADING SCALE: 0-10

Grade:
9/10 = A
8= B
7= C
6 or less = failing grade
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Hospice and Palliative Care

Shaylee Hawn

School of Nursing, California State University, Stanislaus

NURS 3910 Mental Health Nursing Clinical

Dr. Wendy Matthew

March 18, 2022

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Hospice and Palliative Care

Accepting a life changing illness or death can be difficult for not only the patient, but the

family members as well. In a survey of 1,162 people, 71.6% stated that they had never heard of

palliative care (Taber et al., 2019). Palliative care and hospice care provide a patient with support

in hopes of easing the physical and emotional pain during a difficult time. This paper will discuss

the similarities and differences between palliative care and hospice care as well as how my

personal views have changed based on researching this topic.

Palliative care is any medical care that helps relieve symptoms of a serious illness,

starting from the day a patient is diagnosed and continuing throughout most of their life (NIA,

2021). In comparison, hospice care is medical care that aims to make a patient more comfortable

when a doctor determines that the patient has less than 6 months to live. In other words, a

patient diagnosed with a serious illness can receive palliative care alongside curative treatments

whereas hospice care is initiated only after the illness has become terminal and treatment is

stopped. Due to the 6-month requirement for hospice care, palliative care usually will turn into

hospice care if the diagnosis is terminal (NIA, 2021).

Palliative care and hospice care both focus on the comfort and quality of life for the

patient as well as their family (NIA, 2021). “Negative beliefs about palliative care were

common: in particular, over 40% of participants associated palliative care with death” (Taber et

al., 2019). In other words, many patients and their families associate palliative care with death

which can deter them from seeking comforting services for the patient. Contrary to this popular

belief, palliative care and hospice care can help the patient and their family deal with a chronic

illness by providing services such as medical equipment, pain medications, social services,

religious or spiritual services, constant access to care, and grief support for the family (Vitas
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Healthcare, n.d.b). Palliative care and hospice care can also provide the patient and family with

community referrals for any additional services needed for concerns such as food insecurity and

childcare (Vitas Healthcare, n.d.b).

Another possible deterrent for patients and their families from seeking palliative care or

hospice care might be financial concerns. Private insurances and Medicare will pay for a certain

amount of palliative care depending on the patient’s plan and hospice care is generally mostly or

fully covered under Medicare (Vitas Healthcare, n.d.b). Within hospice, there are four types of

care that Medicare covers: inpatient care, routine home care, continuous home care, and respite

care (Vitas Healthcare, n.d.a). Inpatient hospice care is provided in a setting such as a hospice

facility or nursing home. Routine home care is provided wherever the patient lives and usually

entails hospice nurses coming to the patient’s home on scheduled days and times. In

comparison, continuous home care can be provided around the clock when symptom

management is more complex. Respite care is an option for families who wish to take care of

their loved one at home but need a break from time to time. When the family needs time to

rejuvenate themselves, the patient can be admitted to and cared for in a hospice facility

anywhere from a few hours up to 5 days (Vitas Healthcare, n.d.a). Palliative care is frequently

provided in a hospital but can also be provided at the patient’s home, hospital, or a nursing

home (NIA, 2021). Hospice care can be provided at a hospital, veterans’ facility, nursing home

as well but is more frequently provided at the patient’s home or at a hospice facility (NIA,

2021).

After researching palliative care, I feel much more knowledgeable regarding the services

included in palliative care and how beneficial it can be for patients diagnosed with a life altering

illness. I never understood how frequently nurses provide palliative care in the hospital setting
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or outpatient clinics because I thought that palliative care was only for older people who have a

chronic illness or cannot take care of themselves any longer. Now, I understand that things like

playing music for a woman in labor, administering pain medication to a child with a broken

bone, providing a new mom with information about services like WIC, and even washing a

patient’s hair at a home visit are all considered palliative care.

Before researching hospice care, I thought that elderly people in nursing homes and

hospice homes were the only patients that receive hospice care. I never considered the fact that

anyone with a terminal illness who does not have much longer to live, including a 16-year-old

child or a 75-year-old senior, could receive hospice care in a hospice facility, nursing home, or

even at their house. I also used to have zero interest in hospice care because I never wanted to

be around people who are dying all the time. Now, I have the utmost respect for the hospice care

team, especially hospice nurses, for taking care of the patient and their family emotionally and

physically at such a difficult time in their lives. I think that hospice care is an emotionally taxing

career path but being able to love and care for a human when they are so scared and vulnerable

sounds extremely rewarding and heartwarming. In addition, families of a patient in hospice care

are truly lucky to receive the care and emotional support from hospice nurses even after the

patient passes.

In conclusion, while palliative care and hospice care both aim to comfort the patient with

a chronic illness as well as their family, the time zone during which the comfort care is provided

differentiates hospice care from palliative care. In addition, palliative care and hospice care

provide multiple services to care for the patient and their family, emotionally and physically, at

a price determined by their private health insurance or Medicare. The most important things I

learned from this experience are that palliative care is not limited to the end of a patient’s life
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and that palliative care and hospice care are not limited to the older population in nursing home

and instead include anyone with a chronic illness.

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References

National Institute on Aging (NIA). (2021). What are palliative care and hospice care? US

Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-

palliative-care-and-hospice-care

Taber, J. M., Ellis, E. M., Reblin, M., Ellington, L., & Ferrer, R. A. (2019). Knowledge of and

beliefs about palliative care in a nationally representative U.S. sample. Public Library of

Science ONE, 14(8). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219074

Vitas Healthcare (n.d.a). Hospice is a full range of care. https://www.vitas.com/hospice-and-

palliative-care-basics/about-hospice-care/hospice-is-a-full-range-of-care

Vitas Healthcare (n.d.b). What are the differences and commonalities between hospice and

palliative care? https://www.vitas.com/hospice-and-palliative-care-basics/about-

palliative-care/hospice-vs-palliative-care-whats-the-difference#eligibility