Hospice Compendium: Susan Krantz

A synopsis on my grandmother’s experience with hospice care for her

loved ones and the common misconceptions about hospice.

In search of personal experience with hospice care, my grandmother Susan Krantz, was
immediately who I knew I would be able to gain valuable insight from.

She has experienced coordinating hospice care for her daughter, mother, father, and
mother-in-law. She is a supporter of hospice care and believes in creating a situation as
comfortable as possible for her loved ones in this struggling time of their life. When talking to
my grandmother she explained the different offerings that hospice care provides and the
experiences she had aligning with organizations to care for her family. My grandma cares deeply
about her family and wants nothing but the best for them. Susan had several different
experiences with hospice care…

Susan’s daughter was in the hospital after surgery and they transferred her from hospital care to
hospice care. She was actively dying and “they were there to help her pass peacefully”. They
weren’t taking extra measures to help her get better but they were still administering all of her
medications and doing whatever they could to help her be as comfortable as possible. “Hospice
was there educating us as a family on what to expect when you’re dying and what signs to look
for when someone is actively dying.” my grandmother explained to me. Within a week of being
put on hospice care at IMC hospital she passed surrounded by family and loved ones.

Susan’s mother was receiving palliative care to help her get every day tasks done, in the process
of discussing how to further move her into a program to receive more care, she quickly passed.
Her father was on hospice care and was receiving all the medications for his illness he needed.
He passed within a week, surrounded by the people most important to him.

(brief note from the author) I had chosen to align myself with the organization Canyon Home
Care and Hospice in this semester of civically engaged research. After I had chosen and begun
researching this organization my great grandmother was put on hospice. It so happens that the
organization that provided her hospice care was Canyon Home Care and Hospice. While it was
sad for our family to see my great grandmother pass, I am grateful for the wonderful care they
provided. I feel fortunate to have a positive and personal experience to relate to this
organization.

My grandma’s in-laws from previous experience with their father felt that hospice meant death
due to neglect. Their perception was that putting someone on hospice meant to “give up” on
trying to take care of that person. So when their mother started to decline quickly and they had
to consider their options, they were against the idea of hospice. Susan shared her experience
with hospice and the education they provide along with their service. “Hospice was wonderful,
they were trying to accommodate the family and help them go through this process and try to
make our loved one as comfortable as possible.” (Krantz). The family met with hospice.
Canyon Home Care and Hospice explained that they are there to provide whatever service the
family requests.

“People die so differently” (Krantz). It may be days, weeks, months, or even years after being
put on hospice that someone may pass. It’s just how life works, the timing is never right to lose
a loved one. Hospice isn’t there with the intention to take your loved ones' life. They aren’t
there to neglect their care and comfort. “People get the wrong idea a lot about what hospice is
there for, it’s just trying to educate (the family)” (Krantz).

From the valuable perspective I gained in this interview with my grandmother, Susan Krantz,
one of her biggest insights is the awareness she hopes to create around the misconception of
the term “Hospice”. People often associate the word hospice with death. Hospice care from my
grandmother’s perspective is a service provided to those where it is known there won’t be much
improvement; with the goal to help the patient feel comfortable and peaceful. I learned so
much from my grandmother and her insight on hospice. If my grandmother, Susan, had one
point to share with people struggling with the idea of hospice… It would be, “Hospice doesn’t
mean death.” - Susan Krantz

Herrscher, Addison, and Susan Krantz. “Hospice Compendium.” 7 Nov. 2023.