Interviewer

Identifier

OH154-S27-i01

Interview Date

6-26-2019

Abstract

Dr. Stacy Orloff begins the interview describing her experience after completing her MSW degree and one pivotal serendipitous event: she looked at the classified ads in the newspaper for the first time and found a job opening for a children's program in her local hospice. After she took that position, she found that all her training in life led up to being a children's advocate in the hospice setting. Dr. Orloff reflects on the beginning of the community-based hospice movement that now seems to provide fewer services than it was once able to due to the regulatory policies. She also describes some of the early challenges she faced with bridging the training gap to equip adult palliative and hospice clinicians with the necessary tools to care for children, even if they might only care for children a few times a year. Dr. Orloff then recounts several stories of early palliative and hospice care practices that depict the early need for services designed and dedicated to children. Dr. Orloff also describes her experience finding and working with other interdisciplinary practitioners in creating global programming. Dr. Orloff concludes with her goals of creating streamlined hospice and palliative services for families that also provide other practical services such as economic assistance and respite care. She envisions a time where all providers on the continuum of care can come to the table together to provide the best quality care for children without the barriers of practice "turfs."

Collection

Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project

Repository

Bernard Becker Medical Library, Washington University in St. Louis

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