Different Aspects Related to End of Life Care

Once a person is diagnosed with a terminal illness, hospice care is given to the person in conjunction with the on-going palliative care. It's natural for the family members to get overwhelmed with the fact that their loved one has limited time left. However, there are many things that could be done to make the last few months comfortable and less painful for the terminally ill person. There are many services (such as hospice and palliative care) included in the end of life care plan made for the care recipient that not only help the person but also his/her family members. Some of the important things that are beneficial to improve the last few months for the care recipient & his family are briefly discussed below.

Care Options

As mentioned earlier, hospice care takes precedence over palliative care once it has been certified by a physician that the care recipient has six months or less to live provided the terminal illness continues its normal course. The primary motive of hospice care is to improve quality of life of the care recipients by helping them medically, emotionally, and spiritually. This is done through the combined efforts of various involved parties such as a physician, a case manager, RNs, home health aides, counselors, a therapist, social workers, a minister, trained volunteers, etc.

If the family caregiver is not been able to take the entire burden of helping the terminally ill person with the activities of daily living, then in-home senior care providers can provide this support through personal care services. Typically, personal care services involve helping with activities of daily living such as bathing, grooming, maintaining hygiene, mobility assistance, transferring & positioning, toilet assistance, incontinence care, etc. Some reputed in-home senior care providers in Roseland, Essex Fells & Clifton New Jersey provide remarkable end of life care services to support the care plan.

Taking into Account What the Person Wants

As the health of the person declines, he/she may not be able to make the important medical decisions. Hence, it is prudent to legally document the wishes of the terminally ill patient regarding care, medication, on-going treatments, CPR requirement, DNR order, ACLS use, religious procedures, etc. This is done with the help of legal documents known as advance directives. It's important that due respect is given to the wishes of the care recipient and advance directives are quite useful in this regard.

Support for the Family

It's both physically and emotionally difficult for family caregivers to take care of their loved one who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Out of grief, guilt, love, etc. family caregivers tend to completely ignore their health and needs and spend significant amount of time in caregiving. Respite care services can help family caregivers to take much needed break and take their mind off from caregiving for some time. Bereavement support (available through hospice care) is quite effective in dealing with the loss of a loved one and helps the family members in navigating through this emotionally difficult period.

Comfort Keepers Montclair & Hasbrouck Heights can support you and your loved one, by working with a hospice agency or medical provider to fully meet the family's end of life care services needs. Visit here to know more about our End of Life Care services in Montclair, Essex, Union, Bergen County and the Surrounding Areas.

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