El Sinai Hospice & Palliative Care

06/16/2026

El Sinai Hospice Care is looking to fill an Experienced Hospice Full-Time RN position for the Rio Grande Valley. Kinnser Well Sky EMR. Please call 956-935-0631 or email resume to [email protected]

06/05/2026

Losing a loved one is never easy. The Hidalgo County Health & Human Services Department Funeral Assistance Program helps eligible Hidalgo County families with limited financial resources cover basic funeral expenses during a difficult time.

If you or someone you know may qualify, call (956) 318-2011 or learn more at hchd.org/212/Funeral-Assistance-Program

06/02/2026

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we take time to honor and remember the courageous men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation.

With deepest gratitude and respect, we recognize their bravery, selflessness, and dedication in protecting the freedoms we cherish today.

05/24/2026

Understanding the Hospice Philosophy

The hospice philosophy is centered on comfort, dignity, compassion, and quality of life for individuals facing a life-limiting illness. Rather than focusing on curing disease, hospice focuses on relieving suffering and supporting patients and families physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically. The goal is neither to hasten death nor prolong suffering, but to help patients live as fully and comfortably as possible during the time they have remaining (American Cancer Society, 2024).

Hospice recognizes dying as a natural part of life. Care shifts from aggressive curative treatment toward symptom management, emotional support, communication, and honoring the patient’s wishes and goals of care. Research and national hospice organizations continue to emphasize that hospice care improves comfort, supports dignity, and helps reduce unnecessary suffering at the end of life (World Health Organization (WHO), 2023).

A core principle of hospice philosophy is holistic, patient-centered care. Hospice teams work together to address pain, breathlessness, anxiety, agitation, emotional distress, spiritual concerns, caregiver burden, and family education. Interdisciplinary teams often include nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, aides, social workers, chaplains, counselors, and volunteers working collaboratively to support both the patient and the family (National Consensus Project, 2024).

Hospice philosophy also emphasizes respect for dignity, autonomy, and personal values. Patients are encouraged to make informed decisions about their care, express their wishes, and focus on what matters most to them. Families are treated as part of the unit of care because serious illness affects everyone involved, not just the patient. Bereavement and emotional support remain important parts of hospice care even after death occurs (NHPCO, 2024).

Importantly, hospice is not “giving up.” Hospice is choosing comfort-focused care when cure is no longer possible or no longer desired. Studies and hospice organizations consistently describe hospice as a philosophy that prioritizes comfort, peace, symptom relief, communication, and quality of life during one of life’s most vulnerable stages (AAHPM, 2023; Connor & Sepulveda, 2014).

05/14/2026

Caring for a loved one on hospice can be physically and emotionally exhausting, but you do not have to carry it alone.

Many families do not realize that hospice includes respite care, a short-term inpatient stay designed to give caregivers time to rest, recover, attend appointments, or simply breathe while their loved one continues receiving comfort-focused care in a safe and supportive setting.

Respite care is not “giving up.”
It is support for both the patient and the caregiver.

Your loved one continues receiving:
✔ 24-hour nursing support
✔ Medication and symptom management
✔ Personal care assistance
✔ Comfort-focused hospice care

Meanwhile, caregivers are given time to recharge without feeling alone or overwhelmed. Taking care of yourself is also part of caring for your loved one.

Please like, follow, and share to help expand hospice education and caregiver support.

The Hospice NP
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05/09/2026

What Families Wish They Had Asked on the First Hospice Visit

No one teaches you how to walk into that first hospice conversation. Most families sit quietly, nodding, trying to be strong.

But later, many say:

“I wish I had asked more.”

Questions families often wish they had asked from the beginning:

What should I expect in the coming weeks?

What symptoms are normal, and what should worry me?

Who do I call, and when?

What medications are for comfort, and how do I use them?

What does comfort care really mean?

What changes might I see at the very end?

How do I know I’m doing this right?

That last question is the one behind all the others.

And the answer is this:

You do not have to figure this out alone.

Hospice is not just for the patient. It is also for the family. It provides guidance, education, symptom support, emotional support, and someone to walk beside you during one of life’s hardest seasons.

Early hospice education can improve caregiver confidence, reduce anxiety, and improve quality of life for both patients and families (Ferrell et al., 2017; National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, 2023).

Don’t walk this journey alone.

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Together, we replace fear with understanding.

05/09/2026

Understanding the Use of PleurX Drains in Hospice Patients at Home

A PleurX drain is a tunneled catheter used to remove recurring fluid buildup at home, most often from around the lungs called pleural effusion or from the abdomen called ascites. In hospice care, the purpose is comfort, not cure. When fluid builds up, patients may feel short of breath, have chest pressure, abdominal swelling, nausea, poor appetite, or pain. A PleurX drain allows controlled drainage at home, which may reduce repeated hospital visits and help patients remain in a familiar environment.

Evidence supports indwelling pleural catheters as an appropriate palliative option for malignant pleural effusions, especially for patients with limited life expectancy, because they can relieve breathlessness and reduce the need for repeated procedures (Lauricella et al., 2022). Recent evidence also supports tunneled peritoneal PleurX catheters for malignant ascites in palliative patients, showing symptom relief, fewer hospitalizations, and low rates of serious complications (Petzold et al., 2021). A 2025 study of indwelling pleural and peritoneal catheters found they were generally safe and effective for managing recurrent fluid buildup, with low complication rates (Thøgersen et al., 2025).

At home, hospice nurses teach caregivers how to drain the fluid safely, keep the site clean, and watch for warning signs such as fever, redness, swelling, cloudy drainage, leakage, worsening pain, dizziness, or sudden shortness of breath. Drainage should be done only as directed by the hospice team because removing too much fluid too quickly can cause low blood pressure, weakness, cramping, or discomfort.

For many hospice patients, a PleurX drain can improve comfort by easing breathing or abdominal pressure while allowing care to stay focused on the patient’s goals: comfort, dignity, fewer burdensome trips, and more time at home.

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