Caring with Heart and Mind: Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Hospice Care
Empathy is often described as the heart of hospice care. It allows caregivers and hospice professionals to connect deeply with patients and families during one of life’s most vulnerable transitions. Yet empathy, when misunderstood or overextended, can become...
Why “Rate Your Pain From 0 to 10” Is More Complex Than It Seems
Pain assessment is foundational to clinical care, but nowhere is it more central - or more urgent - than in hospice. The familiar questions “How much pain are you in right now?” and “Is it better or worse than last week?” are routine. Yet, they are often quite...
Beyond the Diagnosis: Presence, Empathy, and Clinical Care
The multiple facets of healthcare In most conversations about healthcare, we talk about the clinical side first.Did the doctor order the right tests?Was the surgery successful?What did the scan show? Those questions matter, of course. But if you’ve ever been the...
The Role of HealthCare Workers in Shaping the Bereavement Journey
Loss is inevitable when working in end-of-life care. But the grief that follows is not simply the family’s burden alone. The way care is delivered before, at, and after the death of a loved one significantly influences whether bereavement becomes a manageable process...
Innovation in Hospice Bereavement Programs
In recent years, hospice bereavement care has undergone significant transformation. Early programs offered traditional service delivery models relying on limited offerings, and structured and uniform service delivery format. Over time, however, researchers and...
Keeping Hands Clean: A Guide for Hospice Clinicians
Clean hands are one of the most important ways you protect your patients, yourself, and your community. Let's learn why hand hygiene is so vital and how to do it right. A Quick Look Back: Did you know that doctors didn't always understand the importance of...
See Something Say Something: Mandatory Reporting!
Hospice clinicians are mandated reporters with an individual duty to report known or suspected patient abuse. See something – say something!
Home Healthcare Workers and Violence in the Workplace
The world of hospice care is deeply personal and profoundly compassionate. As a hospice clinician, your primary focus is providing compassionate care to your patients and their families during their most vulnerable moments. But the intimate nature of home-based care...
What is a Hospice IDG Meeting and Who Should Attend
The hospice interdisciplinary group (IDG) creates a patient’s plan of care and provides holistic care to the patient, caregiver, and family. Hospice Conditions of Participation require the IDG to “review, revise, and document the individualized plan as frequent as the...
Hospice Interdisciplinary Group (Hospice IDG)
Hospice care is patient- and family-centered, where the patient's and family's preferences and needs drive the care plan. The hospice interdisciplinary group (also referred to as Hospice IDG or IDG), also referred to as the interdisciplinary team (IDT) is a team of...