What to Expect from End of Life Care

It is incredibly difficult and heart wrenching to learn that your loved one needs end of life care in Memphis . As you and your family begin investigating terminally ill caretaking services, you should consider seeking professional help and support from a counselor, therapist, or spiritual advisor. This person can help you and your loved one make the transition into assisted living and end of life caretaking services.

A home health agency can provide you and your family with an in-home caregiver who has experience in end of life care. This ensures that your loved one can remain in his home, surrounded by friends and family, rather than in hospice care or an assisted living facility.

A home health aide, private duty nurse, or in-home caregiver can provide your loved one with assistance with meal preparation, medication, medical equipment, light household chores, and grooming tasks. A private duty nurse can monitor his vital signs and administer medical care if necessary. Your loved one’s end of life caregiver will work closely with you and a hospice agency or medical provider to provide your loved one with the care and comfort that he needs.

If your loved-one has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, there may come a point at which you have to make the difficult decision to end his or her medical treatment. If he or she is suffering and there is no prospect of recovery, the time may come to end all medical interventions except palliative treatment, and seek end-of-life care in Memphis . At this point, the priority is to make sure that your loved-one spends his or her last days and weeks with as much dignity as possible.

Treatments and Therapies

There are number of medical and psychological treatments available to help make your loved-on comfortable during the final period of his or her life. Trained professionals can prescribe and administer pain medication. The loved-one may also need medications to alleviate other symptoms, such as nausea, digestive problems, or difficulty breathing. Treatments may be administered at home or in a hospital, depending on his or her needs and wishes. Spiritual and psychological support is also crucial. Counselors, together with spiritual leaders, if appropriate, and other skilled professionals can offer guidance and emotional support.

Advanced Directives

Most patients find it reassuring to talk about their wishes for end-of-life care well in advance. This allows them to make decisions calmly, while they are still in relatively good health and can think clearly. Their primary care physicians should discuss the available options clearly and frankly. Knowing that they have already made all the necessary arrangements offers many patients peace of mind. The loved-on can draw up an advanced care directive , designating a proxy decision-maker, and detailing his or her specific wishes with regard to care. This enables friends and relatives to know exactly what to do later, even if the patient is too incapacitated to be able to express his or her own needs or desires.

Emotional Support

If you are caring for someone in the final stages of a terminal illness, there are a few simple things you can do to help him or her come to terms with the situation. Talk to your loved-on about his or her life. Reminisce, share memories, recall achievements, even share jokes. Celebrate your shared past and look to the future by discussing the lives and prospects of his or her other family members. Don’t hesitate to seek professional support if you need it.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with dementia, getting proper elder care near Memphis can help everyone in your family feel more at ease. If you are still unsure what dementia is, or what the early signs of dementia are, watch this video to learn more.

Dementia is a term that is used to describe a large group of symptoms that are caused by diseases that affect the brain, such as Alzheimer’s disease. It is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the brain and it is a progressive condition. When a nerve cell in your body dies, it cannot be replaced. As these cells die, the brain begins to atrophy. There are many symptoms of dementia, including memory loss and loss of physical coordination. These symptoms vary depending on where in the brain cell loss occurs. Unfortunately, there is no cure for dementia. However, choosing an assisted living provider in Memphis, such as Caring Companions, can help make the diagnosed patient more comfortable.

If a family member is transitioning to home care, it can be a very stressful time for everyone involved. Planning ahead of time with a facility that is specialized in home care health in Memphis can help to make this process and easier one.

It is important to remind your loved one that this transition is a new process and things are going to be different than they may be used to. Planning any changes to the home should begin immediately. Also, hiring a home health aide early on will be beneficial to ensure that recovery for the patient will continue at home. Reach out to the rehab facility to understand what is needed at home for the recovery to occur quickly and safely. Lastly, recognize that it is okay to have help when caring for a loved one. Self-care is necessary for everyone to stay healthy. Allowing someone to help you care for your family member is the best way to help everyone’s health.

Caring for a loved one at the end of their days is one of the most precious gifts you can give. Choosing where and how this care is given can be a difficult choice to make, but fortunately there are options. In the past, staying at home was the norm. However, today more people spend their end-of-life at a nursing home or hospital. When you find the option that best suits your needs, your loved one will get the elder care near Memphis that they deserve . Read on to learn about comfort and care at the end of your loved one’s life.

Nursing Homes and Hospitals
Due to the many pressures of the outside world, caring for your loved one can be hard to fit into your daily life. For this reason, many people are choosing to let their loved ones spend their final days in a nursing home or hospital. This is a great option for individuals who have severe physical ailments, such as heart failure. However, this choice may not be ideal for those who are wishing to make sure their loved ones receive the one-on-one special care that they so deserve. Also, this option removes your loved one from their home, which can be a hard transition in itself.

Home Health Care
Home health care is another option for your loved one. It offers the luxury of allowing your loved one to spend their days in a familiar setting, while allowing you to feel safe that they are receiving the special care and attention they deserve. Home care can be exhausting for family members and many people have busy lives they also need to tend to. Hiring an at-home care professional is a wonderful way to ensure that comfort and safety are a priority for the person in need of end-of-life care. It also allows you and your family to maintain the self-care needed as your loved one needs more personalized attention. Working with a specialized in-home care company in Memphis is a great way to provide your loved one with respectful and comfortable end-of-life care.

As your terminally ill loved one nears the end of life, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed with anticipatory grief and the challenges of meeting your loved one’s needs. If your family hasn’t already done so, you may reach out to a hospice care provider. Arranging for home care in Memphis can ensure your loved one receives the help he or she needs while giving your family some much needed time to simply be present with your loved one.

Assisting with Basic Tasks
It’s likely that your loved one will become increasingly unable to care for him-or herself. Your loved one may be confined to a bed, which means he or she needs assistance with toileting. It is often difficult for family members, particularly adult children, to help their loved ones with tasks of such a personal nature. A home health care provider can assist your loved one with toileting to preserve his or her dignity. An in-home care provider can also help you position your loved one to improve comfort and reduce the risk of bedsores. There are many other things you can do to improve your loved one’s physical comfort. If he or she is no longer eating and drinking, you may apply lip balm and periodically insert a small ice chip into his or her mouth. If your loved one appears to be in pain, let the physician know that he or she may need additional medications or a stronger dose.

Providing Reassurance
Even as individuals at the end of life lose many basic functions, they can often still hear their family members. Touch his or her hand to let your loved one know you’re there and speak to him or her with a calming voice. If your loved one is aware enough to respond to the surroundings, he or she may sometimes become agitated or confused. Provide reassurance as needed. The physician can address severe agitation.

Understanding End of Life Changes
It is impossible to know how long someone will require end of life care. You may wish to learn some of the indicators that the end is near so that you can prepare yourself. Generally, individuals become withdrawn and sleep more than usual. They may want to change positions frequently and they may have changes in breathing. Do not become alarmed if your loved one refuses food and drink; this is also typical.

When a loved one needs end-of-life care or hospice care in Memphis, you will likely have many questions about what your options are. This video can help you make important decisions about hospice care.

End-of-life care can be provided in a number of different ways, including in hospice facilities, but many families find that the best hospice care is provided at home. With in-home hospice care, your loved one gets to spend his or her final days in the comfort of familiar surroundings while getting necessary care and support. Look for home health care providers who have experience providing this kind of care. Home care and hospice work together to make sure that the patient is getting all the care they need. When hospice can’t be there all the time home care providers can be there up to 24-hours a day to make sure your loved ones are getting the full care they need. Hospice care is about caring for the patient as well his or her family, so ensure that the program you are considering also provides support for family members during the hospice period.

Toward the end of life, individuals often prefer to spend their days at home, surrounded by their loved ones, rather than in an institutional setting. Fortunately, with the proper planning, this is entirely possible. Caring Companions provides hospice care through our senior helpers in Memphis. Our caregivers are empathetic, spiritual individuals who are dedicated to guiding families through this difficult time. Our end of life care services can complement your loved one’s care plan through a hospice program or medical provider.

Some of the care services we provide to individuals toward the end of life include food preparation, light housekeeping, including laundry, bathing, dressing, mobility assistance and medicine reminders. Individuals with a terminal illness often cannot perform self-care for themselves and it can be difficult for family members to assist with these tasks. Our compassionate caregivers can help your loved one with incontinence care, toileting, bathing, and dressing to help him or her maintain dignity.

Hospice programs provide compassionate end-of-life care to individuals who have a life expectancy of six months or less. Individuals receiving this type of home health care in Memphis can receive a variety of palliative services, which are intended to improve comfort and quality of life. Despite the prevalence of hospice programs throughout the country, many people have misconceptions about them.

To learn the truth behind some common misconceptions, watch this interview with a hospice professional. He explains the philosophy of care and where care services are typically provided. He discusses some of the individuals who may benefit from hospice care and the types of professionals who work with hospice patients.

When a loved one is first diagnosed with a serious illness, it’s common for families to meet with specialists, explore treatment options, and consider clinical trials. At a certain point, healthcare providers may inform the patient that the treatments aren’t working and that he or she is not a candidate for other curative options. This doesn’t mean that the patient will no longer receive care; however, services will transition from curative treatments to palliative care. End-of-life care is often provided by Caring Companions in Memphis, who may be working in conjunction with a hospice care program.

Care Team
An end-of-life care team is typically comprised of many different professionals. A patient may have elder care companions who provide services such as light housekeeping, meal preparation, companionship, and personal care. Nurses from the hospice care program can visit the patient’s home to assess his or her needs and determine how to improve quality of life . The hospice team may also include social workers, trained volunteers, spiritual counselors, or members of the clergy.

Palliative Care
The hospice care team provides palliative care, which can take many different forms. Palliative care does not focus on treating the condition; rather, it is intended to manage symptoms to provide greater comfort at the end of life. A nurse can help the patient manage his or her pain and other symptoms. He or she may provide prescription medications or medical supplies for symptom management. For example, if a patient can no longer get out of bed to go to the bathroom, the nurse can insert a catheter that will stay in place and drain into a special bag.

Family Support
An important component of end-of-life care is support for the whole family. A hospice care team can offer the family practical assistance and psychological counseling. For instance, a hospice nurse can instruct family members on how to properly set the controls on oxygen therapy equipment, how to lift and transfer the patient, and how to administer medications. A spiritual or psychological counselor can be there to offer emotional support to family members as they struggle to cope with anticipatory grief during their loved one’s illness and the grieving process after the passing.