The end stages of heart failure are a difficult time. There’s so much that your senior may no longer be able to do and she can feel as if a lot of what she wanted to do is left unfinished. How you approach her care from here on can make a huge difference in how she feels. Hiring end of life care providers can help provide care and knowledge.
Talk with Her Medical Team about Her Condition and Learn the Symptoms of End-stage Heart Failure
The more that you understand how heart disease and heart failure are impacting your senior specifically, the easier it is to follow her care plan. Any time that you have questions about what your senior is experiencing, make sure to ask questions. Your senior’s doctors can help you both to have a better understanding of what is a new issue and what your senior doesn’t have to worry about.
Everyone’s symptoms with heart failure can be different, but in general your senior may start to experience greater fatigue and changes to her heart rates. She may not be as hungry and she may no longer want to do the things that she’s loved to do. As she nears the very end of her battle with heart failure, she’s much more likely to be retaining greater amounts of fluid and have trouble breathing. She may also start to sleep a lot more.
Focus on Comfort for Your Senior and Hire End of Life Care Providers
In general, because this is not a condition you’ll be able to cure for your senior, comfort is your main focus. End of life care providers can help immensely with this goal as well. Managing your senior’s symptoms and doing what you can to help her as she deals with the changes she’s experiencing is easier with experienced help. End of life care providers can offer assistance and suggestions that prioritize your senior’s comfort.
Talk Through What She Wants if You Haven’t Already
If you and your elderly family member haven’t already talked through what she wants this stage of her life to look like, now is the time. This is another area that end of life care providers can help with, too. If your elderly family member isn’t aware of all of the options available to her, she can learn about them now and make educated decisions that support what she wants.
Remember to Take Care of Yourself, Too
It’s so crucial that you take the best care possible of yourself during this time. It takes a lot out of you to care for someone you love as they deal with a terminal condition. Ensuring that you’re doing all that you can to make sure that you’re getting your own needs met is going to help you to keep being there for the tough stuff. End of life care allows you to take respite time when you need it most.
Doing everything that you can as your senior deals with end-stage heart failure can sometimes mean relying on others and giving yourself and your aging family member a chance to determine what you truly need. You don’t have to decide everything all at once, either.
If you or your aging loved one could benefit from End of Life Care Services in Denmark SC, contact the caring staff at Grove Park Hospice, at (803)536-6644.
Providing Hospice & Palliative Care in Orangeburg, Bamberg, & Calhoun Counties
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