Patient Bill of Rights
Hospice recognizes that all persons have a fundamental right to make decisions regarding their own medical treatment, including the right to accept or refuse medical care. It is the policy of Hospice at Home to encourage individuals and their families/caregivers to participate in decisions regarding care and treatment.
The Right to be in Control:
Grant me the right to make as many decisions as possible regarding my care. Please do not take choices from me. Let me make my own decisions.
The Right to have a Sense of Purpose:
I have lost my job. I can no longer fulfill my role in my family. Please help me find some sense of purpose in my last days.
The Right to Reminisce:
There has been pleasure in my life, moments of pride, moments of love. Please give me some time to recollect those moments. And please listen to my recollections.
The Right to be Comfortable:
The pain involved in dying is multifaceted. Although not all my pain can be taken away, please relieve whatever portion you can.
The Right to Touch and be Touched:
Sometimes I need distance. Yet sometimes I have a strong need to be close. When I want to reach out, please come to me and hold me as I hold you.
The Right to Laugh:
People often - far too often - come to me wearing masks of seriousness. Although dying, I still need to laugh. Please laugh with me and help others to laugh as well.
The Right to be Angry and Sad:
It is difficult to leave behind all my attachments and all that I love. Please allow me the opportunity to be angry and sad.
The Right to have a Respected Spirituality:
Whether I am questioning or affirming, doubting or praising, I sometimes need your ear, a non-judging ear. Please let my spirit travel its own journey, without judging its direction.
The Right to hear the Truth:
If you withhold the truth from me, you will treat me as if I am no longer living. I am still living, and I need to know the truth about my life. Please help me find that truth.
The Right to be in Denial:
If I hear the truth and choose not to accept it, that is my right. Please honor this Right along with all these other Rights. One day, you too will want the same Rights.
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