Demystifying hospice Inside the stories of patients and caregivers

Clayton makes another case for the benefits of hospice. Over 40 percent of people eligible for this six-month benefit receive it only within the last two weeks of life. Through experiential stories from her social work practice, Clayton gives down-to-earth illustrations of how terminally ill people and their families could enjoy a higher quality of life during their dying journey. The stories address when hospice is appropriate, how and where hospice care is given, the needs of the dying and their caregivers, how care is personalized, and most importantly the benefits of meaningful relationships between all involved--patients, families, and their lay and professional care providers. An added benefit of the story format is that it demonstrates through examples how to establish meaningful relationships, making the book valuable not only to people and families approaching the end of life but also professional healthcare providers, who often lack experience giving end of life care and who may themselves be grappling with their own uncertainties about death. Besides the standard reference section, several useful appendixes are included--tips for family members in giving care, a glossary of terms and abbreviations related to the end of life, and recommended readings, media, and websites. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, graduate students, and professionals. --Linda K. Strodtman, emerita, University of Michigan

Hospice is extraordinary! With this opening line, Clayton, a social worker and sociologist, declares her advocacy. In what she calls a gentle book about a difficult subject, she spells out the benefits of compassionate care for people who can't get more curative treatment, or who don't want more of it. Clayton explains that the word hospice comes from the same root as hospitality, and in medieval times, hospices were places of rest and shelter for weary travelers. She also talks about finances. Medicare and Medicaid cover six months of care. Yet in 2016, the average length of stay for the 1.43 million Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in one of the 4,382 Medicare-certified U.S. hospices was just 72 days. About a third of hospice patients waited until the last week of their lives to use these centers. Clayton offers useful advice, including good tips on how to make last days more pleasant for both the patient and caregivers. Deepened by Clayton's feeling that it is an honor to find ways to help people say goodbye to their loved ones, this guide is invaluable.--Karen Springen Copyright 2018 Booklist