Hospice Nurses

What do they do?

When it comes to hospice care, the nurses are a critical part of the team. In an article for Prepared Patient, Amy Sutton listed some typical duties that a nurse would be responsible for:

• Greet patient and caregiver(s); the nurse may offer support to the patient and caregivers    privately during the course of the visit.
• Ask about appetite, energy levels and whether patient is experiencing pain or symptoms.
• Take patient’s blood pressure level, heart rate, weight, and other vital signs.
• Ask if medications seem to be helping or if they are causing problems.
• Assist patient and caregiver in obtaining medical supplies or equipment needed at home.
• Offer advice to caregiver and patient about what to expect next in disease process and when/how to request for special assistance.
• Listen to patient’s and caregiver’s emotional concerns and suggest/arrange assistance from a social worker or pastoral care.

As you can see, it is the nurse's job to help maintain not only physical comfort, but mental as well. In fact, this is the goal of the entire hospice team, and a large part of the reason why hospice is so effective.