Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is It?How It HelpsHow to Use It
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is It?
How It Helps
How to Use It
Hospice comfort kits contain prescribed medications used to treatend-of-life symptoms, such as pain, anxiety, nausea, and shortness of breath. Many kits come with medications for reducing mucus production and the “death rattle” of wet breathing sounds that mucus buildup causes.Hospice comfort kits can also be tailored to a loved one’s specific needs.
This article explains the types of medications that are typically prescribed in hospice comfort kits, along with how they can help a person in their last phase of life.
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What Is a Hospice Care Kit?
The hospice comfort kit—also known as the emergency kit, e-kit, or hospice kit—is a prescribed set of medications that are kept in a patient’s home should a medical crisis strike. Having the medications already in your home will help the hospice team treat any distressing symptoms as quickly as possible.
The hospice comfort kit may be ordered and delivered to your home at the start of hospice care, or anytime the case manager nurse sees a possible need for one. The actual contents of the kit vary. In some cases, it may be custom-designed for the diagnosis, but this will vary widely among hospice agencies.
The most basic of hospice comfort kits contain medications for pain, anxiety, nausea, insomnia, and breathing problems.
Medications that may be found in a hospice comfort kit and the symptoms they might treat include:
Other medications may be included depending on the hospice diagnosis. For example, a patient with a brain tumor who is at risk for seizures may have valium suppositories included in their comfort kit.
How Hospice Comfort Kit Medications Can Help
Hospice comfort kits are designed to provide rapid relief from symptoms that may be experienced in the final weeks or days of life. True to their name, hospice comfort kits are meant to maximize a dying person’s comfort and dignity, and, in doing so, bring comfort to their loved ones.
End-of-life symptoms that hospice comfort kits can help with include:
How to Use Your Hospice Comfort Kit
Your hospice nurse should explain each medication to you, including the purpose and correct way to administer it.
Some hospice agencies simply instruct their patients not to use any of the medications and then wait for a symptom to occur before explaining the medication.However, this method of instruction has a major drawback because it requires the patient or caregiver to learn about a new medication under a great deal of stress, which is difficult to do.
If this is how your hospice agency instructed you, consider asking your case manager or nurse to explain each medication to you before any symptoms occur. That way you can be prepared if and when symptoms appear.
Coping With Anticipatory Grief
Summary
Hospice comfort kits contain prescribed medications that treat common end-of-life symptoms like anxiety, pain, and nausea. The medications are intended to quell distressing symptoms rapidly, allowing a person to feel calm and comfortable as they approach death.
Hospice care nurses are responsible for explaining how to use the prescribed medications properly along with when to use them. If you have any questions or concerns about using a hospice comfort kit, don’t hesitate to reach out to a hospice nurse or case manager for assistance.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Webber C, Viola R, Knott C, Peng Y, Groome P.Community palliative care initiatives to reduce end-of-life hospital utilization and in-hospital deaths: A population-based observational study evaluating two home care interventions.JPSM. 2019 Aug;58(2):181-189. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.04.021Kaiser Permanente.Comfort care medication kit.Van Esch H, Lokker M, Rietjens J, et al.Understanding relatives' experience of death rattle.BMC Psychol. 2020 Jun;8(1):62. doi:10.1186/s40359-020-00431-3
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Webber C, Viola R, Knott C, Peng Y, Groome P.Community palliative care initiatives to reduce end-of-life hospital utilization and in-hospital deaths: A population-based observational study evaluating two home care interventions.JPSM. 2019 Aug;58(2):181-189. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.04.021Kaiser Permanente.Comfort care medication kit.Van Esch H, Lokker M, Rietjens J, et al.Understanding relatives' experience of death rattle.BMC Psychol. 2020 Jun;8(1):62. doi:10.1186/s40359-020-00431-3
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Webber C, Viola R, Knott C, Peng Y, Groome P.Community palliative care initiatives to reduce end-of-life hospital utilization and in-hospital deaths: A population-based observational study evaluating two home care interventions.JPSM. 2019 Aug;58(2):181-189. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.04.021Kaiser Permanente.Comfort care medication kit.Van Esch H, Lokker M, Rietjens J, et al.Understanding relatives' experience of death rattle.BMC Psychol. 2020 Jun;8(1):62. doi:10.1186/s40359-020-00431-3
Webber C, Viola R, Knott C, Peng Y, Groome P.Community palliative care initiatives to reduce end-of-life hospital utilization and in-hospital deaths: A population-based observational study evaluating two home care interventions.JPSM. 2019 Aug;58(2):181-189. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2019.04.021
Kaiser Permanente.Comfort care medication kit.
Van Esch H, Lokker M, Rietjens J, et al.Understanding relatives' experience of death rattle.BMC Psychol. 2020 Jun;8(1):62. doi:10.1186/s40359-020-00431-3
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