Tag: hospice

By Thomas Goldsmith North Carolina’s hospices exist to provide willing patients and families a peaceful, natural means to encounter death. But the coronavirus crisis has piled distinct new levels of stress on both hospice providers and those who receive care. People receiving hospice care across North Carolina — whether in patients’ homes, hospitals or long-term

By Anne Blythe As Bill Milner pulled disposable green medical gloves onto his hands, the man in the dental chair beside him offered a preview of what the dentist was about to see inside his mouth. A front tooth was gone, and it just might have been lost to an altercation, the patient said. “Did

By Rose Hoban As North Carolina quickly moves toward transforming Medicaid from a state-paid system to one run by managed care companies, lawmakers have been pushing providers to get their health records into electronic form. Now, as deadlines loom, some of those providers are pushing back. While most hospital systems and large clinics and physician

By Thomas Goldsmith A team of emergency technicians rushes into a North Carolina home where someone has had a stroke and is near death, someone who has said she doesn’t want to undergo resuscitation when at this point. Nonetheless, emergency workers try to bring her back to life, despite her wishes. This situation happens far

By Mark Tosczak Cone Health is launching a new pediatric palliative care clinic to meet the needs of medically fragile children in Guilford County. Most of the clinic’s services will be provided by Cone staff at Cone facilities or in patients’ homes, but that care will be coordinated with some services provided by Hospice and

Melissa Bailey Kaiser Health News Nothing seemed to help the patient — and hospice staff didn’t know why. They sent home more painkillers for weeks. But the elderly woman, who had severe dementia and incurable breast cancer, kept calling out in pain. The answer came when the woman’s daughter, who was taking care of her

By Taylor Knopf The mountains become steeper and houses fewer as you drive west out of Asheville on U.S. Route 25 and pass the sign that reads, “Welcome to Madison County: Jewel of the Blue Ridge.” The county covers 449 square miles and has about 21,000 residents. There are three small towns: Marshall, Mars Hill

A “Before I Die” festival urges people to consider their own deaths, in order to make them better. By Jake Harper Side Effects Public Media In sunny patch of grass in the middle of Indianapolis’s Crown Hill Cemetery, 45 people gathered around a large blackboard. The words “Before I die…” were stenciled on the board