aggressive comfort management relieves suffering...diana’s suffering had multiple sources,...
TRANSCRIPT
was to hear what was not said, and to stay in the
present moment, in order to respond to Diana’s
concerns with sensitivity, compassion and respect.
An Agrace grief counselor also met with Diana to
discuss her feelings of loss. She struggled with
the idea of not being there as her children grew
up—and the graduations and weddings she
would miss. Together, they
came up with a solution:
Writing cards for these
occasions in advance would
allow Diana to share words
of wisdom and convey
her love for her children
when these special days
occurred. Knowing her kids
would stay connected with
her even after she was gone
brought Diana great peace.
Learn more about whole person care Expert symptom management and whole person
care are critical to aggressively managing a
patient’s comfort at the end of life. You can learn
more about applying whole person care in your
everyday practice at Agrace’s 2012 End-of-Life Forum. Please see page 2 for registration details
for this October 15 full-day educational conference.
*Diana’s story is not the experience of a specific patient,
but illustrates common hospice patient experiences and
strategies Agrace uses to relieve patients’ distress.
Diana* held the oxygen mask tightly against her
face. Her lungs were failing. The pain from the
tumor in her chest was unbearable. She was
terrified of suffering and distraught about saying
goodbye to her children. Diana’s worst moment
was hearing, “There is nothing more we can do.”
There is more. When patients like Diana are
admitted to Agrace, explaining what we can do
is the first step. To relieve the many types of
suffering experienced by patients and families
at the end of life, we provide aggressive comfort
management. Interventions to mitigate suffer-
ing are identified through our interdisciplinary
approach to “whole person care,” which
considers the physical, emotional and spiritual
realms of each individual.
Diana’s suffering had multiple sources, includ-
ing pain, shortness of breath, fear and grief.
While her Agrace nurse and medical director
formulated a symptom-management plan with
Diana to quickly improve pain control and
breathing, the Agrace chaplain and grief
counselor helped her address spiritual concerns
and the losses she was facing.
Her spiritual distress was treated with the same urgency as treatment for her physical pain. The Agrace chaplain began
by listening to Diana’s hopes and fears. The
chaplain’s role was not to “fix,” but rather to
listen attentively and provide a caring presence
as Diana spoke. A key part of the interaction
Aggressive Comfort Management Relieves Suffering
5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711 | Fax: (608) 276-4672
3001 W. Memorial Drive, Janesville, WI 53548 | Fax: (608) 755-5710
agracehospicecare.org
Referrals/Admissions: (800) 930-2770
Summer
2012
By Denise Gloede, RN, BSN, CHPN; Vice President of Access, Agrace HospiceCare
Denise Gloede VP of Access
Clinical Update, Summer 2012, page 2
When you refer patients to Agrace, our collabora-
tion with you can affect the quality of their
hospice experience. To help us maintain strong
relationships, each year Agrace surveys our
physician partners to learn how we can best meet
your expectations and the needs of our mutual
patients. We appreciate your collaboration with
us, as well as your thoughtful feedback.
On our 2012 survey, nearly all respondents (95%)
rated Agrace’s services as either “excellent” or
“very good.” Physicians also identified the four
most important aspects of partnering with us:
1. Agrace’s ability to manage symptoms
2. Ease of the referral process
3. Communication with Agrace staff about
their patients
4. Turnaround time from referral to admission
Of these four key factors, physicians rated their satisfaction with Agrace’s symptom management very highly. They also reported satisfaction with the ease of referrals and turnaround time. Communication was iden-tified as an opportunity for improvement.
In response to your feedback, Agrace’s clinical
leaders are examining our written and verbal
communication to physicians’ offices and looking
for ways to increase effi-
ciency and quality, while
eliminating unnecessary
communication and changing
any potentially confusing
communication. We’re also
working with a physician
partner to explore the use of
technology, such as EPIC.
If you have suggestions or
would like to give us more
feedback on improving
communication, please
contact Deb Jacobson, RN clinical outreach
coordinator, at (608) 513-5129 or by e-mail at
Physician Feedback Helps Strengthen Partnerships By Deborah Jacobson, RN Clinical Outreach Coordinator
Register Today for Agrace’s 2012 End-of-Life Forum
Bridging the Divide: Mind, Body and Spirit
Monday, October 15, 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Alliant Energy Center, Madison
A full-day conference for health professionals,
social workers, counselors, chaplains and
others interested in improving end-of-life care
Keynote speaker: Dr. Tom Hutchinson, professor,
Department of Medicine;
director, McGill Programs
in Whole Person Care,
McGill University, Montreal
Registration deadline: October 5
Cost: $90 Register online at agracehospicecare.org or call (608) 327-7202 to receive a brochure
and registration form.
More clinical hospice news available online: Please visit agracehospicecare.org and follow the home-page quick link “Physician
Resources” to find back issues of “Clinical
Update” and Agrace’s “Partners on the Journey”
newsletter for long-term care facility staff.
Agrace Earns CHAP Accreditation Agrace HospiceCare was recently awarded
accreditation under the Community Health
Accreditation Program (CHAP) Hospice Standards
of Excellence. CHAP provides an expert, objective
review of community-based hospice services to
ensure that Agrace is compliant with current
state and federal regulations, as well as industry
standards of practice and care. Agrace has held this voluntary accreditation continuously since 2006, a reflection of our commitment
to providing excellent end-of-life care to the
patients and families you refer to Agrace.
Deb Jacobson RN Clinical Outreach Coordinator