These are difficult waters for any hospice professional to navigate, but it is necessary and sometimes crucial for the welfare of the patient and other family members. It is not unheard of for family members to argue while in the presence of the terminally ill patient. Although this is shocking behavior for loving families, other families find conflict and dysfunctional relationships to be the norm. Rarely united family members are often brought together by the imminent death of the hospice patient. Sometimes these family members may argue about just about anything, including who will inherit which portion of the patient's belongings and estate.
Family members can also strongly disagree about the care to be given the hospice patient.
Some members may desire the patient to stay at home to die, while others may favor placing the patient in a facility. Some may favor sedating the patient while others want as little sedation as possible. Some family members may have tremendous difficulty accepting the fact that their loved one is actually dying, while others have accepted that reality a long time beforehand. Hospice medical social workers and spiritual counselors may work directly on these issues if family members are receptive to these types of services. Other hospice staff may also touch on these issues.