Hospice Insights: An Interview with Our Hospice Director of Clinical Services
November is Hospice Month, and an opportunity to honor the profound impact of compassionate end-of-life care. This dedicated time serves as a poignant reminder to cherish the moments of comfort that bring solace to individuals during life's final chapters. Join us—and our Hospice Director of Clinical Services, Robin Herfert, RN—as we delve into the significance of Hospice Month, exploring the invaluable role of hospice care in our community.?
What is Hospice?
Hospice care stands as a beacon of compassion and support for individuals navigating life-limiting illnesses. Unlike traditional medical care, which focuses on curative treatments, hospice care is a specialized approach that emphasizes comfort, dignity, and quality of life during the final stages of a terminal illness. Rooted in a holistic philosophy, hospice care addresses not only the physical needs of patients but also attends to their emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial well-being, providing a comprehensive support system for both patients and their families. This profound form of care aims to alleviate pain and discomfort, fostering an environment of empathy and understanding that celebrates the dignity and unique experiences of every individual in their end-of-life journey.
Who Works in Hospice?
The exceptional care provided by hospice is a result of the dedicated and compassionate efforts of a diverse team of professionals. This interdisciplinary team typically comprises of skilled individuals from various disciplines, including:
Each member brings unique expertise and plays a vital role in fostering a nurturing and dignified environment, ensuring that every patient receives the comfort, respect, and personalized care they deserve.
Meet Robin Herfert, Hospice Director of Clinical Services, RN
Robin is a registered nurse who began her nursing career in critical care and became passionate about ensuring quality of life, which eventually led her to hospice care. She has spent the majority of her nursing career in hospice, serving as an RN Case Manager, Nurse Navigator, and most recently as an Administrator. We caught up with Robin earlier in the week to ask her these questions:
“I am the Director of Clinical Services, so I function as the Administrator of the Hospice Program here at Interim Health and Hospice. I have a lot of experience in nursing, beginning with my time in critical care. Pretty quickly, I realized that dignity and quality at the end of life was more important than prolonging life and that’s what led me to hospice. So I went from ICU to hospice care and started out as a Case Manager doing bedside care of patients. I did that and then I moved into the position of a Nurse Navigator, became an Administrator in Chicago and now I’m back in my home state of Minnesota working as a Director of Clinical Services.”
“A hospice referral begins when either the family or physician sees that the patient really would no longer benefit from any kind of curative measures. Maybe it’s the Assisted Living Director of Nursing that thinks that the patient has lost a lot of weight, is falling or getting a lot of infections and is spending all of their time in and out of hospital. Perhaps it's a family telling us their loved one doesn’t want to do chemotherapy anymore, they’re sick of going to the hospital and are just tired of it all. That’s when we get called in. We assess the patient, we look at the clinicals and determine whether they are eligible—meaning do they have 6 months or less to live should the disease run its normal course without any form of aggressive medical intervention. Following such a referral, we can then turn the focus to quality of life and comfort.”
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“Hospice care can be given wherever the patient calls home, whether that’s a skilled nursing facility, independent living facility, their own home or a hospital setting. The majority of hospice care we provide at Interim of the Twin Cities is in the patient's home or at their independent/assisted living facility.”
“I think the biggest benefit of hospice care in the community is that the patients get to age in place. They get to remain in their home around familiar people, which could be their family at home, or the team at an independent/assisted living facility. They get to stay somewhere that is comforting to them, without having to go into a hospital and go through that disruption. There’s nothing wrong with hospital care of course, it's fabulous! But it is a clinical setting at the end of the day, and it isn’t home. When it comes down to it, lots of people want to spend their final days at home, around their animals, family and things that feel familiar.”
“Dignity, comfort, support.
What we find oftentimes is that the family needs as much support as the patient. As end-of-life nears, the patient will need clinical support, but we also give the family access to a wide array of professional psychosocial support.”
I’d love to see more education around hospice care in general. Studies show that the average stay for hospice care is about 7 days. So the thing that really breaks my heart is that the patients and their families often don’t really get to receive the full benefit hospice offers. Which is a shame, because hospice really is a beautiful thing.”
Comfort Care in the Final Stages of Life
In the intricate tapestry of health care, hospice fosters an environment where every patient is seen, heard and valued. At Interim HealthCare of the Twin Cities, we believe that every life matters until the very last moment, which is why our Hospice Care Program coordinates the services that will make a patient and their family safe and at ease.?
In order to provide maximum comfort, our hospice care can be provided wherever you or your loved one calls home. You can rely on us to bring the services to you, along with our dedication to excellence each and every time.
To learn more about the end-of-life services we provide at Interim HealthCare of Twin Cities give our team a call (651) 917-3634