The Hospice Companion is a guide to the processes of care during the intensive, interpersonal experiences of hospice work. This resource highlights the mission and values of modern-day hospice through the individual and combined efforts of the field's most valuable asset, the hospice professional. This easy-to-navigate clinical decision support tool for caregivers of those with life-limiting illnesses allows for personal and professional growth and a deeply gratifying sense of accomplishment as they proceed in the all-important work of caring for the dying. The fourth edition of The Hospice Companion features a thoroughly current guide to clinical processes and symptom management, providing hospice professionals with a concise summary of changes that have influenced clinical practice over the last several years.
1. General Processes Palliative Care at the End of Life: Blending Structure and Function The Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Documentation 2. Personal, Social, and Environmental Processes Abuse in the Home Advance Care Planning and Directives for Health-Care Interventions Changes in Body Image and Loss of Independence Changes in Family Dynamics Completing Worldly Business and Life Closure Controlled Substances: Misuse and Abuse Cultural Differences: Respect, Understanding, and Adapting Care Denial Grief Reactions Living Environment, Finances, and Support Systems Basic Home Safety Suicide: Risk Assessment, Prevention, and Coping If It Happens 3. Clinical Processes and Symptom Management Agitation and Anxiety Air Hunger (Dyspnea) Anorexia and Cachexia Belching and Burping (Eructation) Bleeding, Draining, and Malodorous Lesions Confusion/Delirium Constipation Coughing Depression Diarrhea and Anorectal Problems Dysphagia and Oropharyngeal Problems Edema: Peripheral Edema, Ascites, and Lymphedema Fatigue, Weakness (Aesthenia), and Excessive Sedation Fever, Flushing, and Diaphoresis Hiccups (Singultus) Imminent Death Insomnia and Nocturnal Restlessness Nausea and Vomiting Pain Pruritus Seizures Skeletal Muscle and Bladder Spasms Skin Breakdown: Prevention and Treatment Urinary Problems Xerostomia (Dry Mouth) 4. Appendices Appendix 1: Ketamine Protocol Appendix 2: Clinical/Functional Assessment and Staging Appendix 3: Lidocaine Infusions for Refractory Neuropathic Pain Appendix 4: Cannabis and Cannabinoids
Dr. Perry G. Fine is a Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, University of Utah, where he serves on the faculty of the Division of Pain Medicine and the Pain Research Center, and he is an attending physician in the Pain Management Center.
