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Hello and

this is a special episode of the excerpt.

today is Wednesday January 24th, 2024 and this is a special episode of the excerpt.

Somewhere near the top of a long list of subjects we'd all rather not talk about is hospice care. yet regardless of what we do death is an

inevitability for all of us planning for perhaps one of the kindest and

most important tasks we can undertake for our loved ones.

Recent news of Jimmy and Rosaline Carter entering into hospice

has brought the topic of hospice

once more into the national consciousness

and brings up critical questions that impact us all.

What end of life care really means, how affordable it is, and what happens if a patient outlives

this form of care.

We're talking about all of these issues and more with

our guest, Kara Wallace, a professor at St. Louis University in Missouri's

Valentine School of Nursing. Thanks for being on the excerpt Kara. Thanks so much for having me. I'm thrilled to be here.

Okay let's get right to it. First, what is hospice and how does it differ from other forms of health care?

Hospice care is a service that patients can receive at their own home

and there are a number of things that it includes.

It includes focus on both the patient and the family and it's provided by an interprofessional team so there's a physician. There's a nurse, social worker, chaplain, there's often volunteers. sometimes there are things depending on the hospice like music therapy or massage and hospice is available around the clock 24 hours seven days a week. Now that doesn't mean that someone's

there at the home 24 hours seven days a week but people are available to

...