Hospice Emotional & Spiritual Care In Concord City, California
Since its earliest examples, the medical profession has been tasked with assisting dying patients with their spiritual requirements. Traditionally, healthcare was associated with providing for the physical as well as the spiritual needs of those who received it. Medical practice, on the other hand, began to shift in the latter part of the twentieth century as medicine became more closely associated with the biomedical model of healthcare.
The importance of spirituality to patients who are approaching the end of their lives cannot be overstated, even if the patients themselves are not religious or spiritual in any way. Patients are also requesting spiritual care from healthcare professionals, according to a recent survey. According to recent research, inadequate spiritual care for dying patients has been linked to lower patient satisfaction and higher costs, whereas inadequate spiritual care has been linked to higher patient dissatisfaction and higher costs.
A common reaction for those who are close to a loved one receiving hospice care is to worry that they are not providing enough assistance or that they are not doing the right things to help them loved one. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer for someone who inquires, “How can I begin assisting during the hospice process?” Every situation is unique, and the ability to provide assistance will be determined by the setting in which the patient is receiving hospice care, the patient’s condition, the level of support required, and the amount of care being provided by the hospice staff.
In order to assist their loved one while receiving hospice care, there are some guidelines that can be followed by a person who wishes to assist their loved one. Individuals nearing the end of their lives require assistance in four areas, according to the National Institute on Aging: physical comfort, mental and emotional needs, spiritual issues, and practical tasks.
Physical Comfort
In order to make a person who is nearing the end of his or her life more comfortable, there are several options available. Pain can be caused by a wide range of issues and conditions. Depending on the cause, there are things that family members or a healthcare provider can do to help. For example, a terminally ill person may experience discomfort as a result of pain. As a result, it is critical that families have access to information about pain management and that the patient communicates with their caregivers when they are experiencing discomfort. In fact, a family member should be aware of the fact that caregivers are not always present in the home to monitor the level of pain that a patient is experiencing on a consistent basis. To assist in this process, family members can alert caregivers to any pain-related complaints that the patient may be expressing while they are absent.
In addition, a patient may be hesitant to assert himself or herself in front of caregivers. As a result, it is critical that family members collaborate with the patient in order to communicate any pain management requirements. While in this position, it is critical to ensure that the patient is expressing any concerns, not only about symptom-based pain, but also about issues of comfort, such as the temperature of the room, food, or the positioning of the bed.
By actively monitoring and communicating with caregivers about pain management, it is possible to avoid a significant problem that occurs frequently in hospice care. According to a recent national study, more than 18 percent of home hospice families believed that their loved one did not receive enough pain relief during their stay. These considerations are especially pertinent during the final stages of illness. Patients can experience dyspnea (labored breathing) in the final weeks of their lives in as many as 70% of cases. Both the patient and his or her family may be distressed as a result of this.
Furthermore, more than 26% of families of recent home hospice patients felt that their loved one’s dyspnea had not been adequately managed by the hospice. Therefore, advocating for patients and ensuring that communication between the caregiver and patient is clear and frequent can go a long way toward resolving potential problems and ensuring patient comfort. In addition, advocating for patients can go a long way toward increasing patient comfort.
Mental And Emotional Needs
A loved one’s assistance will be limited to providing emotional support to the patient, given that most hospice care is provided in a setting other than the patient’s private residence. Hospice caregivers will also provide the majority of the physical care to the patient, so a loved one’s assistance will be limited to providing emotional support to the patient. In other cases, a loved one will be able to provide a patient with a broader range of assistance than simply providing emotional support, such as transportation.
There can never be enough emphasis placed on the importance of emotional support in any situation. To say that a terminally ill loved one will likely experience a range of emotions is an understatement. These emotions may include depression and anxiety. Because of the lack of control or uncertainty that the patient feels in the situation, these feelings may be heightened in the final stages of their illness, particularly if the patient is alert during that time period of their illness. Family and friends can be of assistance in this situation by providing mental and emotional assistance. This can include something as simple as engaging in encouraging conversations about feelings or simply talking about something other than the situation at hand, depending on the situation.
The normal feelings of anxiety or depression that a terminally ill person experiences may also have a great deal to do with fear of the unknown, worry about leaving loved ones behind, or concern about how his or her affairs will be handled. In this situation, the most valuable assistance a loved one can provide is an open era in which the terminally ill person can express his or her concerns. As will be discussed further below, anxiety may arise from practical concerns such as who will take care of the person’s final affairs or who will look after surviving family members.
Always remember that a patient’s mental and emotional needs must be met, and that he or she should never be isolated. Many well-meaning family members and friends withdraw because they have already begun the grieving process and believe it would be an emotional burden to visit a terminally ill loved one. This is a common reaction among well-meaning relatives and friends. Some people may believe that they would prefer to remember their loved one while they are still healthy rather than when they are terminally ill.
If at all possible, family and friends should be encouraged to pay visits to their loved ones and to do so as frequently as they can. These visits can take the form of a normal visit, similar to what the individual would have received while healthy, or they can be used as a way to share memories of happy times, which can help a loved one find peace near death by reducing anxiety and depression and encouraging them to remember happy times. Patients who are unconscious may benefit from visits from family and friends. Some medical evidence suggests that an unconscious patient may still benefit from conversations going on around them and may even be able to hear what is being said. As a result, it is likely that it is never too late to talk about or share happy memories.
Spiritual Needs
For some people, the spiritual aspect of dying may be one of the most important considerations when making a decision about their future. So much of the care provided to hospice patients is devoted to making them feel supported on a spiritual level, which can account for a significant portion of their time. In many ways, people who are nearing the end of their lives may have spiritual needs that are just as important as their physical needs in many situations. Making a difference in someone’s spiritual needs can include something as simple as helping them find meaning in their lives by talking with loved ones.
In order to help a patient, feel spiritually at ease, there is no playbook to follow. According to the patient, the amount of spiritual support that he or she may require should be determined. Someone who is deeply religious may find it more comfortable to speak with someone who is a member of their religious community in some situations (such as a minister, priest, rabbi, or imam). Another option is to read religious texts or listen to religious music, which can provide comfort. In other cases, conversing with a friend or simply sitting in silence may be sufficient. Based on these considerations, it is critical to recognize the comforting role of faith, while also acknowledging that spirituality can often be a deeply personal and private matter that a person may prefer to attend to on their own time.
Practical Tasks
It is common knowledge among those who have been involved in estate planning or have been entrusted with the responsibility of handling a loved one’s final affairs that there are numerous practical tasks and loose ends that need to be tied together. In the case of people who have become accustomed to taking care of their day-to-day affairs throughout their lives, the prospect of leaving a burden on their loved ones after death can cause distress or anxiety.
Even in the face of the normal anxieties that can befall a terminally ill person, their worry can be exacerbated by feelings of guilt for not being able to assist or find someone to help them, especially when overburdened caregivers are also unable to assist them. Something as simple as doing small chores around the house, or as complex as assisting with larger matters that may require attention, such as retrieving paperwork or creating a list of tasks that must be completed, can make a significant difference. It is important to remember that telling a loved one that his or her personal affairs are in good hands can bring comfort to both of you.
Helping During Hospice
When a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it is common to feel compelled to assist them. Particularly if the patient is receiving hospice care at home, there are numerous opportunities to lend a hand during the hospice process. A person receiving hospice care requires a significant amount of time, and loved ones can contribute even if they are not directly helping the patient by assisting other loved ones or caregivers, which is particularly important given the length of time required. People can help by volunteering to provide support or even by offering to give those who spend long hours with a loved one time to relax. This is true even if the patient is receiving hospice care in a hospice facility or a long-term care facility. Given the fact that this will be an extremely emotional time for the patient, asking if there is any support you can provide, either directly to the patient or to those around them, will be extremely helpful. For more information on how you can assist a loved one during their hospice journey, please contact Melodia Care Hospice by phone or by sending us an online message.
You can reach us at any time of day or night by contacting us through our 24/7 online customer support chat or by calling 1-888 635-6347 (MELODI-7).