Individuals and their families who have elected to enter hospice for their final days often require a great deal of support in terms of physical, emotional, and spiritual care. The caregivers who are looking after them also need a generous helping of comfort through this process.
Blue Water Hospice care provides experienced professionals to manage, and ease, hospice care services both at home and in a facility.
“Every family’s experience is different, but there are common challenges that we typically see our clients, and their loved ones, endure during these final days,” says Blue Water Hospice Founder and COO Jennifer Prescott, RN, MSN, CDP. “Our goal is to always ensure peace and comfort to the best extent possible for all those involved when under our care, in terms of their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.”
What types of pain or discomfort are common in hospice care?
Physical pain and discomfort are common near the end of a terminal illness due to the illness itself or associated issues like being bed-ridden and immobile. Examples of pain or discomfort one might experience while in hospice include:
- Aches or swelling
- Skin irritations, including itching and inflammation
- Digestive problems
- Temperature sensitivity
To ease aches and pain, your loved one’s primary physician will often prescribe medication to keep them as comfortable as possible.
Skin irritation can be soothed by keeping it clean and moisturized as well as keeping the body moving by gently shifting positions in bed and stretching limbs frequently to prevent bed sores or ulcers from developing. Using special cream on areas that are moist can be helpful to avoid skin breakdown.
Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and constipation are all digestive issues that may arise at the end of life. Try offering favorite, or blander foods, in small amounts, and help with feeding if necessary. If someone has stopped eating all together, never force them to eat or make them feel guilty at this stage. If your loved one is on pain medications, they can result in constipation. It is important to consider a regular bowel regimen in these cases.
The body may also go through temperature sensitivities, feeling hot one moment and cold the next. Offering a warm blanket, or cooler layers of clothing, and adjusting the thermostat in their room frequently may be needed to keep them comfortable.
How can you help meet the emotional needs of someone in hospice care?
Both the individual faced with their final days, and their loved ones, are likely dealing with a range of emotions such as anxiety, depression, fear, confusion or denial. Many people often express feeling isolated also due to the fact that friends and family may be too afraid to visit or unsure of what to say or how to help at this time.
Ways that you can provide emotional support to someone in hospice care include:
- Being totally present when with them. Give them your undivided attention and listen to whatever they may want to share or discuss in their final days.
- Addressing them directly when speaking, and not speaking about them in their presence. Experts suggest that even when in a medicated or weakened state, and even if they are unable to communicate themselves, people can often hear what is being said around them.
- Reflecting on happy moments with them and finding ways to help keep their memory alive after they have passed. Have them actively participate in how they would like to be remembered. For example, you might cook their favorite meal and watch their favorite movie to honor them on their birthday or promise to cheer for their favorite sports team whenever you see them on television.
- Vowing to respect their final wishes can also help ease their mind and fears they may have over funeral arrangements, resting places, memorial services, or wills and bequeathed items.
- Offering to help them resolve unfinished business with another family member or friend can provide a sense of peace and accomplishment before their passing.
Tending to your loved one’s spiritual needs or preferences, if they have any, is also important during their last days. Invite their regular priest, rabbi, or other religious figure to visit or communicate messages or final blessings and prayers back and forth if they express interest in receiving them.
Providing support to caregivers who are overseeing a loved one’s hospice journey is equally as important. Many caregivers will appreciate help with daily tasks like running errands, preparing meals, or tidying the house and doing laundry so that they can devote their energy elsewhere. Blue Water Homecare can ease your burden and help with all of these chores.
It is a difficult decision for each family on knowing when to seek hospice care, and helpful guidelines can be found here.
Along with hospice care, Blue Water provides general At Home Care, Dementia Care, and a Parkinson’s Program unique to the special challenges associated with this neurodegenerative disorder.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you, and your loved one. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.