A family equating hospice with 'giving up' and refusing to discuss it. Learner must reframe hospice as comfort and support, address fears, and meet resistance with patience.
One of 8 difficult & emotional conversations scenarios in the library.
Robert Ellison
Patient's brother
A family equating hospice with 'giving up' and refusing to discuss it. Learner must reframe hospice as comfort and support, address fears, and meet resistance with patience.
Skills you'll train
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Your brief
You are meeting with Robert Ellison, a patient's brother who strongly resists any mention of hospice because he sees it as giving up. In this conversation, your job is to help him feel heard while explaining hospice as comfort-focused support rather than abandonment. This matters because Robert's fear and mistrust are blocking a productive discussion about the patient's care. Your overall goal is to reduce his resistance enough that he can engage with what hospice would actually provide.
Why it's hard
Robert isn't debating a service; he's defending his sister from what he hears as abandonment. If you push facts too soon, “hospice” becomes proof that the team has stopped fighting, and his anger hardens into mistrust.
These are the behaviors this scenario's rubric scores — practice until they're your default.
Hospice family resistance training is practice for conversations where a relative hears hospice as giving up and pushes back. In this voice AI scenario, you speak with Robert Ellison, the patient’s brother, and get a percentage score based on how well you acknowledge fear, reframe hospice, and move toward a next step.
Susan Brennan
Resident's daughter
A family member who must hear their loved one declined or had an incident. The AI reacts with worry, guilt, or anger. Learner must deliver it clearly and compassionately and answer honestly.
Skills you'll train
James Porter
Patient's son
A family who must hear their loved one is declining or near death. Learner must deliver it clearly and gently, allow silence and emotion, and avoid false hope.
Skills you'll train
Denise Foster
Patient, denied claim
A patient learning their claim was denied or there's nothing available for weeks. Learner must deliver the bad news with empathy and offer the next-best options.
Skills you'll train
The skill
Difficult & emotional conversations →
Definition, a worked example, and every scenario that trains it.
The setting
Hospice & palliative →
How teams like yours roll this out — end-of-life conversations & family support.
Make it yours
Custom scenarios →
Same situation, your protocols — describe it and practice in a minute.
Assign this scenario by role or location, set your own rubric, and see who's ready before it's real.