Once the patients are here, they are not getting regular family visits anymore, and this contributes to the strength and importance of surrogate families at Carswell. With the surrogate family network in place, the latest project for the hospice social work staff is convincing patients to join the program earlier. Johnson and her associates feel that currently the program is required to concentrate almost exclusively on crisis-oriented care, since patients are entering hospice at the very end of their illness. Entering earlier would afford patients the necessary time to prepare spiritually and emotionally for death. Johnson hopes that the recently established terminal illness support group will help patients come to terms with their illness, and consider hospice at an earlier stage.
Crucial questions come up in the support group.
Frequently patients ask whether entering hospice means that all attempts at curative treatment will be abandoned. Johnson assures them that once they are in the program, all clinically appropriate measures will be taken to treat their illnesses. After a reversal of her symptoms, she was transferred into general population, served her time, and went home. Fifteen new inmate volunteers have received training from Johnson, Cheryl Owens, RN, Linda Ford, LMSW, and Chaplain John Berry. This will facilitate needed improvements in staff education.