Hospice workers help patients with last wishes

Hospice workers help patients with last wishes 
St. Joseph News-Press, MO; by Charles Christian; 9/1/24 
While expressing last wishes is not always the first priority for hospice patients, caregivers say it can be a helpful and meaningful step in the grief process. Registered nurse Kathy Lewis, a hospice care manager at Freudenthal Home-Based Healthcare, said that although asking about last wishes is part of the intake process for many hospice organizations, it is not always something that patients and families share right away. "I typically don't ask about last wishes during an admission," Lewis said. "But once I get to know them, and they feel comfortable with me ... that's when they tend to disclose things like that, because it is a very personal thing." Once disclosed, social workers, nurses, chaplains and other members of a treatment team do what they can to fulfill these wishes. Licensed social worker Jenny Dryburgh said that for bigger wishes, creativity becomes a key factor. ...