Latino Families’ Decisions to Accept Hospice Care

Abstract

Objectives:

The underrepresentation of Latinos in hospice care is well-documented. A gap remains, however, in the literature’s description of the factors that shape Latino families’ decisions to enroll in hospice care. The need for such understanding is dire considering the shifts in population and the research evidence that Latinos experience worse end-of-life outcomes compared to non-Latino whites. This study contributes to such understanding by exploring Latino older adults’ experiences with healthcare broadly and reasons for choosing hospice care specifically, including how they learned about hospice and their understanding of the service at the time of enrollment.

Methods:

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 hospice-enrolled Latinos 65 or older, or their decision-making proxies. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results:

Findings show that hospice represents a way to access services, and not necessarily a philosophy of care that Latinos understand or seek at end of life.

Conclusion:

Healthcare providers such as hospital and hospice social workers must engage in efforts to enhance advance care planning discussions and hospice education with the Latino community.