Creating a compassionate environment in which your elderly loved one can process the last days of their life is an essential component of end of life care. Most importantly, you will need to honour their wishes around the final chapter, offer pain relief and nurture your loved ones quality of life on your final days together.
A peaceful death means something different to everyone. It’s so important to ascertain your loved one’s preferences while they are still able to communicate them. Part of caring for an elderly relative involves keeping a file on their medications, ailments and daily routine. Add a page to this that outlines your loved one’s specifications of how they would like their final days to unfold.
Perhaps your parent has asked for a moment alone with each of their loved ones in order to say goodbye. Your role is to organize this. Location is important - when the hospital has let you know that your loved one is nearing the end of their life, it’s time to honour their request to take their final breath at home. The specificity of these practicalities goes a long way to provide peace for a person’s final days.
As your loved one reaches the final stretch, the focus shifts from recovery to comfort. This is a time to prioritize communication and talk through any remaining differences in order to part with a sense of harmony and closure. While it can be immensely difficult to support a family member through the last chapter of their life, these final weeks together can be a huge gift as you process your loss and say your final goodbyes.
CareChamp offers additional End of Life Care to help you look after your loved one’s practical needs and provide them with all the comfort they need as their time draws to a close.