What services did Magnolia Hospice offer? What types of clients did it serve?

Question

Alice Singletary, a novice social worker with Magnolia Hospice in Alexandria, Louisiana, met June Plunket, who had terminal cancer, and her daughter, Polly, for an admission interview. June was in quite a bit of pain and trying to cope with dying. Polly blamed Dr. Dubuis and herself for her mother’s approaching death, and was also angry with her brother, who had distanced himself from the family. June and Polly lived in a chaotic and overcrowded household with Polly’s daughter, Jenna, and Jenna’s two young children. While assessing June’s situation, Alice identified a multitude of family problems which had to be balanced with the mission of the hospice. In this situation, Alice was not sure where to begin.

Answer 1

Magnolia Hospice provided ìmedical, emotional and spiritual care for persons with life expectancies of six months or less.î Magnolia offered palliative, or ?comfort? care, which focused on managing pain and other symptoms, as well as grief education and counseling. The goal was to provide quality of life in the time that remained. In addition to patient care, Magnolia addressed needs of the patientís family and loved ones, providing services such as support groups and education groups facilitated by a grief counselor.
Services to patients and families were coordinated by the hospice team which included physicians, registered nurses (RNs), nurse techs, social workers, and chaplains. A team of volunteers also helped with transportation, meal preparation, caregiver relief, and many other tasks.