When a family member is in hospice how do you help them feel better?

I am a hospice nurse and every individual case is different. I had one client in hospice who turned around like overnight. They thought that she was dying, she was in grave shape and then one day she was just better. We had our 1st yoga class together about 6 months ago and she's still going strong. She's 94. My current client will be 100 years old in a few months and for the life of me i can't even understand why she's on hospice in the 1st place she walks around by herself with no assistance. No cane, walker, anything. She eats well, she's healthy i've been over her chart and she is healthy as a horse. Shes not on any medications just aspirin for joint pain. The only thing i can think of is age. There's no other reason for for her to be on hospice

I had frequent contact with the hospice nurse. The nurse provided better information and stepped in when changes were needed. The regular hospice care-giver may not understand the patient's needs as well as the nurse does.

:) Carefully.

HOSPICE is comfort care, usually within 6 months of remaining life. Avoid foods, feeding practices and schedules that contribute to discomfort. Individualized and you may have to read the person if they can't talk or express themselves, or communicate their likes and dislikes. HOSPICE pros can help fill in the unknowns.

They can help you with clues about positioning and what foods may or may not be appropriate based on the individual situation. Texture and softness may be important. A food they may handle OK today, may not be so in a few weeks, so comfort care should progress along with situation.

Death by choking is a risk, as is aspiration pneumonia. Both of which may be uncomfortable. A very weak person may fall asleep with food in their mouth, or may forget how to swallow, or may not remember how to suck from a straw.

In general, a time to set aside any notion of health eating in favor of comfort.

There are a whole slew of diseases that progressively weaken the body but don't themselves lead to death, and where death instead comes with untreatable pressure sores, starvation, choking or aspiration pneumonia.

I have mixed feelings
My mom was put on hospice and I felt like it wasn't that great to be honest.
The guy was all talk going thru things, pushing the signing of the papers, while my mom was just laying there listening.
He never said anything personally to my mom. Just to me and my brother.
He said just feed her ice cream and don't try to get her to eat anything nutritious since she won't be around much longer. She died one month later.

Spend time with them, do the things they want you're on the clock now time matters.
I always think everybody feels better after getting fresh air and it's about the only thing which isn't harmful in one way or another.

Well when my grandma was in hospic I paid for her stay as it was a private hospital none new this neither did i , and I’d visit her every day it was an hour trip two trains and two buses, and walking distance from the closest bus stop, and I’d even stay overnight as it was a long distance to home , and I wanted to stay too, I just love hospitals, ever since I was a kid and my brother was in hospital from a bike accident, I’ve always loved hospitals, it felt like a second home for me, I would play music for her from my iPhone, and watch the scenery from the window it was a nice hospital

You don't. From what I have seen people in hospice really don't want to eat or drink much of anything. Just getting them to eat anything or take a sip of water is a huge deal.

I wouldn't know i presume that they know all that stuff? 😳

Push the button.

Just be as close as possible to them