Hospice Care

We decided to put my grandpa in Inpatient Hospice Care on Saturday afternoon and I think that's when it all got very real for me.

Initially, Papa went to the emergency room on July 14th and was diagnosed with pneumonia. The doctors admitted him to the medical floor that evening and he spent the next couple of days (with one room change) trying to get better. On Sunday, things started to decline and when I went to see my parents that night, my dad told me he didn't think he would make it much longer. By Monday afternoon, my grandpa's condition had declined so much that he was admitted to the ICU and put on a ventilator. I thought for sure we'd lose him that night.

Tuesday came along and everything was as stable as it could be. Wednesday was the same. By Thursday the doctors talked about taking him off the ventilator, and on Friday afternoon they did. He wasn't oxygenating well on his own, but seemed to rebound a little later on. I thought we'd lose him that night, too. He was stable throughout Friday night and on Saturday, ICU decided they couldn't do anything more for him and moved him back to the medical floor.

My grandpa had pretty horrible care at St. Marks Hospital and we're all pretty shocked at how badly he was treated. I guess because in his living will he has a DNR order, the doctors and nurses figured he didn't deserve to be cared for.

Because we know he's close to the end, and didn't want to subject him to further frustrations, we decided to move him over to inpatient hospice care. My aunt Carrie's father-in-law was in hospice and they had a wonderful experience, so we decided on The Residence at Care Source. We moved him over here on Saturday afternoon, and honestly, none of us expected him to stay with us this long. He's off his oxygen, his meds and everything, and told us on Sunday that he's ready to go. The little fart is stubborn as hell though, and he's still hanging on.

Watching someone go through the dying process is probably the most heart-wrenching thing anyone can experience. Especially if it's someone you love. I think it's awesome we've all been able to spend time with him and say our goodbyes, but my god, it's been hard. So unbelievably hard.

All I can do now is spend time with him, tell him I love him and hope and pray that he passes peacefully and without struggle. I love him so very much. He's been such a great man and support in my life and I'm going to miss him so much.