Helping uncompensated caregivers

In response to your article, "Caregiver suffering is a dimension of end-of-life care" (Nov/Dec 2001), I agree that nurses suffer emotionally, physically, and spiritually while caring for dying patients. However, I feel that uncompensated caregivers need help and support from nurses also. Caregivers and clients involved with hospice are offered respite care, but who is helping those caring daily for a dying client, not yet involved with hospice? Third- party payers rarely reimburse for respite care of clients not involved in hospice. Nurses need to voice the necessity for respite care for caregivers and clients needing respite care.

Kelly Kromer, BSN Student
Savannah, GA

Paperwork = Busy-work

I am a new ANA member. I just read the letter ("Cut the Paperwork!" March/April 2002) discussing the volumes of paper that occupy our time. I couldn't agree more.

One night, as I was charting, our nursing assistant (someone I'd hoped might pursue a career as a registered nurse) said, apropos of seemingly nothing, "I could never be a nurse." I asked her why not. Her reply? "Too much paperwork."

Redundant? You bet. Time-consuming? Yes, indeed. Of course, most of it is busy-work generated by government bureaucrats to ensure their job security.

Jan Maria Eiland, RN
Ketchikan, AK

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