Mayo Clinic Talks Communication and Hospice
Dec 16, 2025
Dr. Cory Ingram, a family medicine and palliative care physician, shares invaluable insights into hospice care. He emphasizes that hospice is not about surrendering but about enhancing comfort and dignity at the end of life. The discussion highlights the critical role of communication, addressing common misconceptions, and the importance of timely hospice conversations. Dr. Ingram also tackles the barriers that prevent healthcare providers from initiating these talks and offers guidance on how to navigate patients' emotional reluctance for enrollment.
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Personal Experience With Hospice Care
- Cory Ingram describes caring for his father through hospice and how clinician communication eased family fears.
- He credits listening clinicians for helping craft a dignified plan of care during that final chapter.
Death-Denying Culture Shapes Conversations
- We live in a death-denying culture that makes end-of-life conversations countercultural and difficult.
- A shift from curing to prioritizing what matters most requires intentional communication and reframing of goals.
Hospice Doesn't Necessarily Replace You
- A common clinician misconception is that hospice removes the primary clinician from care.
- In practice, hospice teams often keep primary and specialty clinicians involved as part of the interdisciplinary team.