The main concern you probably have as your elderly family member nears the end of her life is how you can help her to remain as comfortable as possible. End of life care services work toward exactly that goal by focusing primarily on comfort for her and for you and other family members.
Here are just a few of the ways that end of life care prioritizes comfort for your senior.
Working Closely with Medical Providers
Your elderly family member may no longer be seeking curative treatment options, but that doesn’t mean that her doctors aren’t involved in her care. End of life care professionals work along with your senior’s medical team to keep everyone on the same page. As a group, they’re able to help make sure your senior is as comfortable and cared for as possible. When there are changes in your elderly family member’s situation, it’s easier for her entire medical team to work together because there’s a primary point of contact.
Helping to Manage Symptoms as Needed
Part of that care involves managing symptoms. Hospice offers a lot more options for managing symptoms than curative treatment plans often offer. That freedom can help your elderly family member to explore treatments and therapies that might not have been available to her before. That can make a big difference in how she feels on a daily basis.
Assisting with Bathing, Mobility, and More
Your elderly family member may find that it’s a lot more difficult now to handle her normal daily activities, like bathing. End of life care providers can help with all of these tasks. Whether your elderly family member is able to get to the shower or needs a sponge bath, she’s able to feel clean and refreshed when she needs to. That’s an incredibly important part of caring for someone at the end of their life.
Offering Companionship and Respite Assistance
As much as you may want to be there for every moment of this stage of your senior’s life, you still need to take care of yourself as much as you can. That means taking time away so that you can rest and sort through your own feelings. With care providers there with your elderly family member, it’s a lot easier to take that respite time that you need. Your senior has companionship and you’ll know if you need to get back to her quickly.
Helping Everyone Involved Manage Grief with End of Life Care Support
What’s often extremely difficult for family members is the grief they’re experiencing before someone passes away. End of life care services can help you and other family members to find the grief support that you need. If there are other types of spiritual or emotional support that you or your elderly family member need, hospice can help you to find those resources to take the best advantage of them.
None of the situations at the end of your senior’s life are easy, but having the right types of care available can do a lot to make the experience more bearable for everyone involved.
If you or your aging loved one could benefit from End of Life Care Services in North SC, contact the caring staff at Grove Park Hospice, at (803)536-6644.
Providing Hospice & Palliative Care in Orangeburg, Bamberg, & Calhoun Counties
- What Is Terminal Lucidity and How Does End of Life Care Help? - October 20, 2023
- Strategies for Family Caregivers to Manage Anticipatory Grief - October 9, 2023
- Tips for Speaking at a Family Member’s Funeral - September 25, 2023
