Author's response: I'd like to remind the reader that the patient I discussed, Mrs. Demos, had heart failure. Most hospice programs require the patient to have a life expectancy of 6 months or less, but an accurate prognosis is difficult to make for a patient with this condition. Also, the family and patient didn't want to stop dialysis, and in some cases, hospice won't accept patients on dialysis.

I agree with Ms. Conti that "the goal of hospice is to help people live with as little disruption as possible." I believe that's exactly the care that Mrs. Demos received, but it was provided by her devoted Greek family, not the usual hospice team.

JOY UFEMA, RN, MS