Julie,
As with any other medical "treatment" or "option" research should be done, and if you know that your loved one will require this at some point. Don't wait for an "event: to force you into this. Get your information sooner rather than later.
Be sure to tell the Team what your personal and family needs are. If it is for pain relief, (which should be the main reason to choose this option) be sure that you agree on the amount of narcotics that are given. If your loved one never took high doses of narcotics, be sure they don't start them off on high doses. The amount of narcotics should not be drastically different than what they are currently taking if they are. Just increasing a narcotic to the next mg dosage is usually enough to get them out of pain as the pain gets worse. If they never took narcotics they should be started on the starting dosage of the drug, and increased as needed.
Remember that sedation is part of what hospice is known for, and there are risks with high doses of any drug.
Do your homework, and remember that the patient and the family are in charge. Not the hospice team. If it doesn't sound right to you, or if something makes you uncomfortable, go with your gut feeling. They work for you, that is very important to remember.
There are families that were very comforted by Hospice, They call them "Angels". Then there are horror stories too, and those that think they are the complete opposite. I think the main difference between the two is the family involvement. Make sure they are doing what you and your loved one want. Not pushing anything on you.
It is also possible to get a pain management team involved if the Hospice route is not of interest to you. That along with home health can make your loved one comfortable and pain free. Sedation is not comfort....Comfort is comfort.
I hate talking about this, but it is information that has to get out there.
Julie, my heart aches for people in our position, where decisions like this have to be made.
Karen