Jimmy Carter

My dad was in for about 10 days.

 

I will say this: if you have a family member at home who is nearing the end of their days, do whatever it takes to be officially on hospice. With my dad, there was no unattended death stuff, no coroner, no nothing. He passed away. We called the hospice nurse. She showed up and verified, and we called the funeral home. It was that easy.

 

I will say one more thing about hospice. The people, almost all women, who do that work are, as we said when I was young, heavy -- extremely heavy. The nice Christian ladies who worked the hospice in Jacksonville where my Mom died were, well, on a plane different from my own. Better too, I think.

 

Hospice caregivers are gems. Bless 'em.

 

He is, I am sure, being treated differently, and has been allowed to remain in hospice care for such an extended time simply because he is a former President.

You know, the same reason Donald Trump has been handled with kid gloves by the law, and nobody wants to prosecute him, almost no matter what he has done or will do.

 

Another advantage of having your loved one in hospice: No more arguing with the insurance company, nursing home, whomever, about medical care and needs. It all just gets done. Wonderful people dong God's work. Bless them.

And also, bless all y'all who've had loved ones in hospice, and bless their memories as well.

 

The unheralded heroes of healthcare. Their grace and patience benefit more than the dying. The loved ones also benefit.

 

And it is intended to be no longer than 6 months in most cases. Sometimes, the patient is a survivor. My dad was one of those. He lived 14 months longer than he was supposed to. The local hospice told my mom they’d have to consider suspending service. But their willingness to hang with him for 14 months was neither insane nor improper. It happens.
Carter had or still has cancer that is supposed to kill the elderly in short order. Ted Cruz giddily mocked the diagnosis. But Jimmy’s still going. Good for him.

 

Time for what? Sometimes, hospice patients outlive expectations. Good for them. Ending service because the patient survives is understandable. In the big picture, it is necessary. But I, for one, will not throw up my arms in protest if a former POTUS gets a little more hospice service than is fiscally optimal.

 

The Iranian Hostages were held for 444 days and released the day Reagan was inaugurated.

 

In a just world, Ted Cruz dies of a heart attack before Jimmy does.

 

What, pray tell, does this mean? Non-Sequitur Alert.