HJAR Mar/Apr 2021

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS I  MAR / APR 2021 25 to help her and her family so that this trag- edy could be minimized. I was there all night prior to her passing and left to go home just hours before she died. She was in no pain, with family and loved ones around her at their house. I woke up around 2:30 a.m. and went to sit on the couch. I got the call she had died about 20minutes later. I knew she had died, and somehow her passing had awakened me. It was such an honor to care for her and her family, and I will never for- get it. Has working in hospice changed your thoughts on dying? BELL If anything, it has taught me about living. When people are dying, they let the trivial things in life go and focus on what is important: family, faith, friends and savoring the little moments. Doing this work, my patients have taught me to be more mind- ful, to embrace the important things and let go of the small things that so many times causes such disharmony in our lives. What future trends do you see developing in hospice care? WOOTEN Although hospice is based on the concept of a six-month prognosis, the real- ity is that most patients don’t access hos- pice until much later. Yet, the most common comment we get on our family satisfaction surveys is, “We wish we had chosen hos- pice sooner.”There is a lot of work happen- ing now on the concept of concurrent care that would allow patients to receive the care and support hospice provides while con- tinuing to receive curative or aggressive treatment. In addition, several models of serious illness care and palliative care are being demonstrated and evaluated nation- wide that apply many of the concepts of hospice care to patients earlier in their dis- ease process. With the heavy burden faced by patients and families dealing with seri- ous and life-limiting illness, these evolving models of care hold great promise to reduce that burden while increasing access to high quality hospice and palliative care. BELL As a lot of healthcare organizations to do more with less. Unfortunately, many things we do cannot be automated. We have to be available 24/7 and ready to be that angel of caring who patients and families need at a moment’s notice. n “There is a lot of work happening now on the concept of concurrent care that would allow patients to receive the care and support hospice provides while continuing to receive curative or aggressive treatment. In addition, several models of serious illness care and palliative care are being demonstrated and evaluated nationwide that apply many of the concepts of hospice care to patients earlier in their disease process.” —JUDITH S. WOOTEN, MHA, FACHE