nurse

"I was able to get hoisted into a chair, sit up a bit better... and, as the days went on, I was able to get out of bed with help from the nurses and family."

They will take the role of nurses and aides and in some cases provide the emotional support that used to come from family and friends.

Vargas, a nurse, agreed: "This is my first time in DC, and I'm super excited. It was just meant to be."

If you thought getting approved for Medicaid was a huge slog through red tape, wait until you find out what comes next: The hustling for a placement in a good nursing home.

Service user Len Lawson-Domaille, who has been attending the sessions for about four weeks, said the nurses at the hospice were "absolutely wonderful people".