The #1 Problem with Hospice Care Today (and how we can fix it)
From Ask a Death Doula by Suzanne B. O’Brien RN
March 17, 2026 · 22 min · Episode 173
About this episode
Suzanne B. O’Brien RN discusses the misconceptions surrounding hospice care and the challenges families face during end-of-life caregiving.
Most people believe hospice means that medical professionals will come in and take care of everything when someone is dying. But the reality is very different.In this episode, Suzanne B. O’Brien RN — former hospice and oncology nurse who has cared for more than 1,000 patients at the end of life — reveals the number one problem with hospice care today and why so many families feel overwhelmed during one of the most important moments of life.The truth may surprise you.Hospice was designed to provide comfort, guidance, and medical oversight, but the majority of hands-on care actually falls to family members at home. In fact, families often find themselves responsible for tasks such as:administering medicationsmanaging symptomsbathing and repositioning their loved onemonitoring breathing and physical changesAll while navigating grief, exhaustion, and fear.Many families enter hospice believing full-time care will be provided — only to discover that nurses and hospice staff may visit periodically while loved ones provide most of the daily care.This isn’t a failure of hospice.It’s a missing piece of education. The Real ProblemOver the past 100 years, death has become increasingly…
People in this episode
Host: Suzanne B. O’Brien RN
Topics covered
- hospice care
- end of life
- family caregiving
- medical oversight
- grief
- education
Keywords
- hospice
- end of life care
- family support
- medicalization of death
- caregiving skills
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: hospice, oncology
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