Home Hospice, Not Hospital

In December 2017, my mother was diagnosed with an end-stage pancreatic cancer. In the following weeks, she had to be taken to the emergency room frequently due to worsening infections, electrolyte imbalance, and vertigo, which often led to delirium. The doctors treating her were well qualified but lacked education and training about palliative and end-of-life care issues, which was reflected in their clinical practice. They kept treating her medical conditions as if she could be cured; no one recommended comfort measures only. After much deliberation and with some degree of hesitation, I raised the idea of palliative care with the rest of my family. Asking for palliative care-that is, accepting that the medical treatments were not working-sounded like the antithesis of my clinical work as a doctor and my duty as a son. To my surprise, my family agreed; we refused yet another hospital admission and brought her home. She has been spending the last few months in the comfort of her home being cared for by her loving family.