“How many times can you visit someone in the hospice?”

Visiting hospice patients depends on an individual preference, but usually, I encourage families and friends to visit to ensure the person is not left alone. It can be a blessing to visit hospice patients to both the patient and the visitor. It also depends on where the patient is, which most often is their home. Hospice and the process of dying are things we think about. "What would I want in my final days?" and loneliness, if one is alert and aware of one's environment, is important to consider. Even when not responsive, talking to the patient can be important, because they seem to feel your presence at times. Talking to other visitors present and sharing stories about the past is a good thing to do because energy is often lacking for the patient, but hearing and listening takes no energy, so watching for facial expressions when speaking about a funny past event you may have shared can bring a slight grin or a moan of agreement indicating their presence at a different level most of us will understand and indicate your personal benefiting contribution. Also, a silent presence brings the patient pleasure and reassurance. The bottom line is that there is no set answer; it should be based on the individual preferences of patients and visitors. I always enjoyed laughter, and I never left a visit with a situation that made laughter a sad event. Sometimes, I was the reason for laughter, sometimes even the butt of the joke.