Pets of hospice patients in Texas can also get loving care

[douglas9]

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Hospice Care Team, the coastal Texas provider of end-of-life medical support and care, is expanding its mission to include family members that sometimes are overlooked: the pets of hospice patients.

"Hospice Care Team has decided to participate in the Pet Peace of Mind program as so many of our patients are devoted to their pets," said administrator Joe Chapman. "We can now give the reassurance to our patients who worry about their pets that the care, love and needs will continue to be provided for their companion."

The Galveston County Daily news reports sometimes, pet owners simply need to be reassured that once the time comes when they can no longer care for their pet, someone will step in to provide that service.

Sometimes, people spending their last days at home before death don't have the resources to care for their pets amid other personal and financial constraints.

And sometimes, a pet lover's ability to let go and die is impeded by lingering concerns over what will happen to a pet companion once they're gone.

In these and many other scenarios, hospice organizations in the past have had to do whatever they could, but not necessarily in a systematic way, hospice care providers said.

Ten years ago, Dianne McGill of Salem, Oregon, became concerned about this problem and took action, conceiving of and developing Pet Peace of Mind, a training and implementation program for home health care and hospice organizations around the country that were concerned about their patients' pet care problems and how those problems affected end of life.

https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Pets-of-hospice-patients-in-Texas-can-also-get-13878522.php

[Bayard]

1. A last kindness for sure

When my mom had to go into assisted living, they let her bring her cat. He brought her joy and comfort in her last few years.

[marybourg]

2. Was she still able to handle his feeding

and litter box cleaning? If not, who did it? This is something I’m becoming concerned about.

[Bayard]

5. Feeding wasn't a problem

But sometimes my brother was stuck with the litterbox cleaning.

Actually, that cat was originally my sister's. When she died, my mom took it. When my mom died, it was shipped across country to me. He was very well traveled.

[Duppers]

4. That's great to know.

[shenmue]

3. How sweet