How Does Visitation Work for an Inmate on Hospice Care?

When an inmate is on hospice care, the standard 30-day waiting period for new arrivals to establish a visitor list does not apply in the way it normally would. Facilities understand that hospice situations require a different response, and most will work to expedite the visitor approval process as quickly as the paperwork can be processed. Time matters in these situations and staff generally recognize that.

The most important step right now is to contact Elayn Hunt Correctional Center directly and ask to speak with either the medical department, the social worker assigned to his case, or the warden's office. Explain that your family member is on hospice and that the family needs to establish visitation as quickly as possible. Ask specifically what the expedited process looks like for hospice patients and what documentation or information you need to provide to get names on the list immediately.

The social worker at the facility is often the most helpful contact in these circumstances. Medical social workers in prison settings are specifically trained to navigate end-of-life situations and family communication, and they can often move processes faster than standard administrative channels.

On the quality of care, federal and state facilities with hospice programs provide medically supervised end-of-life care that includes pain management, comfort care, and in many cases the support of hospice nurses and chaplains. Louisiana's Department of Corrections has hospice programs in place at facilities that handle long-term medical cases, and being on hospice means he has been identified as someone who needs that level of attention.

This is an incredibly hard time. Get there as quickly as the process allows. Do not hesitate to push firmly and persistently through every channel available to you.