Increasing numbers of prisoners in the United States are dying from age-related and chronic illnesses while incarcerated. This study is among the first to document characteristics of a population of prison hospice patients. Retrospective review of medical records for all patients admitted to the Louisiana State Penitentiary prison hospice program between January 1, 2004, and May 31, 2012 (N = 79) examined demographics, medical history, hospice diagnosis, length of stay, and end-of-life symptom prevalence on admission and during final 72 hours before death. Resulting data were contrasted with community-based end-of-life care study data, demonstrating a unique clinical profile of this group. As prisons consider adopting programs to meet the growing need for inmate end-of-life care, more research concerning the particular characteristics and unique needs of prison hospice patients will inform these efforts.
AdayR. H. (2003). Aging prisoners: Crisis in American corrections. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
2.
BeckettJ., Peternelj-TaylorC., JohnsonR. (2003). Growing old in the correctional system. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 41, 12–18.
3.
ByockI. (2002). The meaning and value of death. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 5, 279–288.
4.
ChiuT. (2010). It’s about time: Aging prisoners, increasing costs, and geriatric release. New York, NY: Vera Institute of Justice.
5.
EllershawJ., WardC. (2003). Care of the dying patient: The last hours or days of life. British Medical Journal, 326, 30–34.
6.
EvansC., HerzogR., TillmanT. (2002). The Louisiana State Penitentiary: Angola prison hospice. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 5, 553–558.
7.
FazelS., HopeT., O’DonnellI., PiperM., JacobyR. (2001). Health of elderly male prisoners: Worse than the general population, worse than younger prisoners. Age and Ageing, 30, 403–407.
8.
FerrisF. (2004). Last hours of living. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 20, 641–667.
9.
FieldM., CassellC. (1997). Approaching death: Improving care at the end of life. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
KatzS. (1983). Assessing self-maintenance: Activities of daily living, mobility and instrumental activities of daily living. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 31, 721–726.
14.
KehlK. A. (2004). Treatment of terminal restlessness: A review of the evidence. Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, 18, 5–30.
15.
KlinkenbergM., WillemsD. L., van der WalG., DeegD. J. (2004). Symptom burden in the last week of life. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 27, 5–13.
16.
KuhlmannR., RuddellR. (2005). Elderly jail inmates: Problems, prevalence and public health. Californian Journal of Health Promotion, 3, 49–60.
17.
KutnerJ. S., BryantL. L., BeatyB. L., FaircloughD. L. (2007). Time course and characteristics of symptom distress and quality of life at the end of life. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 34, 227–236.
18.
LemieuxC. M., DyesonT. B., CastiglioneB. (2002). Revisiting the literature on prisoners who are older: Are we wiser?. The Prison Journal, 82, 440–458.
19.
LinJ. T., MathewP. (2005). Cancer pain management in prisons: A survey of primary care practitioners and inmates. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 29, 466–473.
20.
LinderJ. F., EndersS. R., CraigE., RichardsonJ., MeyersF. J. (2002). Hospice care for the incarcerated in the United States: An introduction. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 5, 549–553.
21.
LinderJ. F., MeyersF. J. (2007). Palliative care for prison inmates: “Don’t let me die in prison.”. Journal of the American Medical Association, 298, 894–901.
LoebS., AbudaggaA. (2006). Health-related research on older inmates: An integrative review. Research in Nursing and Health, 29, 556–565.
24.
LoebS. J., SteffensmeierD., LawrenceF. (2008). Comparing incarcerated and community-dwelling older men’s health. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 30, 234–249; discussion 250–258.
25.
MathewP., EltingL., CooksleyC., OwenS., LinJ. (2005). Cancer in an incarcerated population. Cancer, 104, 2197–2204.
26.
McMillanS. C., SmallB. J. (2002). Symptom distress and quality of life in patients with cancer newly admitted to hospice home care. Oncology Nursing Forum, 29, 1421–1428.
27.
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. (2012). NHPCO facts and figures: Hospice care in America. Alexandria, VA: Author.
28.
PotterJ., HamiF., BryanT., QuigleyC. (2003). Symptoms in 400 patients referred to palliative care services: Prevalence and patterns. Palliative Medicine, 17, 310–314.
29.
RatcliffM. (2000). Dying inside the walls. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 3, 510–511.
30.
RikardR. V., RosenbergE. (2007). Aging inmates: A convergence of trends in the American criminal justice system. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 13, 150–162.
31.
SerlinR., MendozaT., NakamuraY., EdwardsK., CleelandC. (1995). When is cancer pain mild, moderate or severe? Grading pain severity by its interference with function. Pain, 2, 277–284.
32.
ShelkeyM., WallaceM. (1998). Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Try this: Best practices in nursing care to older adults, Issue 2. Assessment Tool. Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, College of Nursing, New York University.
33.
SmithA., CenzerI., KnightS., PuntilloK. A., WideraE., WilliamsB. A.…CovinskyK. E. (2010). The epidemiology of pain during the last two years of life. Annals of Internal Medicine, 153, 563–570.
34.
SnyderC., Van WormerK., ChadhaJ., JaggersJ. W. (2009). Older adult inmates: The challenge for social work. Social Work, 54, 117–124.
35.
SolanoJ. P., GomesB., HigginsonI. J. (2006). A comparison of symptom prevalence in far advanced cancer, AIDS, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and renal disease. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 31, 58–69.
36.
TeunissenS. C., WeskerW., KruitwagenC., de HaesH. C., VoestE. E., de GraeffA. (2007). Symptom prevalence in patients with incurable cancer: A systematic review. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 34, 94–104.
37.
TranmerJ. E., HeylandD., DudgeonD., GrollD., Squires-GrahamM., CoulsonK. (2003). Measuring the symptom experience of seriously ill cancer and noncancer hospitalized patients near the end of life with the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 25, 420–429.
38.
WildiersH., MentenJ. (2002). Death rattle: Prevalence, prevention and treatment. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 23, 310–317.
39.
WilliamsB. A., SternM. F., MellowJ., SaferM., GreifingerR. B. (2012). Aging in correctional custody: Setting a policy agenda for older prisoner health care. American Journal of Public Health, 102, 1475–1481.
40.
YampolskayaS., WinstonN. (2003). Hospice care in prison: General principles and outcomes. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 20, 290–296.
41.
ZimmermannN., WaldF. S., ThompsonA. S. (2002). The needs and resources for hospice care in the Connecticut Prison System: A feasibility study. Illness, Crisis, & Loss, 10, 204–232.
