The main goal of hospice care is to enhance quality of life and dignity in someone’s last days and managing pain effectively is an important part of doing that. In today’s article, we’ll look at understanding the role of pain management in hospice care with Tonya Bush, RN, who is a Patient Care Manager with Hospice Care Options in Douglas.
The Importance of Pain Management
Because many of the terminal illnesses affecting patients on hospice care can be very painful, it’s important to take pain management seriously in someone’s final days. Pain can affect a patient’s quality of life and keep them from the life they want in their final days.
“When a patient’s pain is controlled, they’re able to rest to interact with their family more,” said Bush. “It just brings a peace over them and their families.”
Signs Someone is Experiencing Pain
Pain can look different for different patients on hospice care, and factors like whether a patient is conscious or able to verbalize what they’re experiencing can make a big difference in the signs they might exhibit if they’re in pain.
“There may be patients who can verbalize the pain as well, but they may not be comfortable saying, ‘I’m hurting’ or ‘I’m in pain,’” said Bush.
In those instances, Bush recommended listening out for other things.
“They may say something like, ‘I can’t get comfortable’ or something like that,” said Bush. “You have to look for things like that in patients that are modest.”
Bush said another sign of an issue with pain can be refusing to eat in patients who normally eat fairly well.
Additionally, for patients who are unable to verbalize what they’re going through, Bush said there are signs to watch out for with that as well.
“You can look for facial grimacing, and they may become restless,” said Bush. “Increased agitation is another sign.”
How Pain is Managed
Pain can be managed for patients on hospice in a variety of ways, including non-medicinal options, but one of the most common ways is through opioid medications like morphine. Bush said that this can frighten patients and their families, but she said it’s important to remember this is all done for the patient’s comfort.
“A lot of people hear morphine, because we use that drug a lot, and they get scared,” said Bush. “They think they’re going to die quicker, but that’s not true.
“We try to help the families understand that it’s not always physical pain, it can also be emotional or spiritual. We just want to keep the patient as comfortable as possible just to allow for more meaningful moments with the family.”
About Tonya
Bush was born and raised in Douglas and has worked with hospice since 2007 shortly after graduating from nursing school.
“I started with hospice because I knew when I was in school that was where I wanted to go,” said Bush.
She said that an experience with her aunt on hospice while she was in nursing school led her to choosing a path in hospice care.
“Helping take care of her and seeing the nurses come in and out, something just told me that’s what I want to do,” said Bush. “I want to do that type of work to help people like they’re helping us.”
Having worked in the field for nearly two decades, Bush said she enjoys the meaningful difference she’s able to make in a patient’s life.
“It’s not just about the clinical care we give them, it’s also the comfort and support for the patients and families,” said Bush. “Being able to guide families through the process to make the families feel like they’re not alone in it, they have someone they can lean on, someone they can vent to.”