Episode Details

201 Hospice Explained: Margaret Montes RN, BSN, PHN on Early Hospice Nursing, Comfort Care, and Family Education

Host Marie Betcher, RN, interviews retired hospice nurse Margaret Montes RN, BSN, PHN with facilitator Cindy Cisneros. Margaret, raised in Puerto Rico and licensed in 1976, joined the new Hospice of East San Gabriel Valley in 1987 and worked 33 years, starting when the census was eight patients and she was the only nurse; her bilingual skills helped serve Spanish-speaking families. They discuss early obstacles such as recruiting nurses suited for hospice, later team disagreements resolved through weekly interdisciplinary meetings, and common family fears that hospice or medications (including morphine) hasten death, emphasizing comfort as the goal. Margaret shares end-of-life visioning stories and a case where a family called 911 despite DNR wishes. They stress educating families on the dying process (including Barbara Karnes' "blue book"), bereavement follow-up, and analogies like the body as an aging car and end of life mirroring infancy.

00:00 Welcome and Disclaimer

00:29 Meet Marie and Guests

01:49 Margaret Finds Hospice

05:26 Early Hospice Challenges

07:28 Team Meetings Behind Scenes

10:43 Hospice Does Not Hasten Death

12:14 Comfort Beyond Medication

14:25 End of Life Visions Stories

18:07 When Families Call 911

20:46 What Everyone Should Know

24:01 Family Dynamics and Aftercare

27:39 Faith Fear and Support

29:46 Analogies for Dying Process

32:08 Final Thanks and Subscribe