During the final stages of your family member’s life it’s crucial that you’re able to meet each need that you can. Identifying those needs sometimes requires a bit more information than you have.
What Are You Worried About?
You know what you’re worried about in terms of your senior’s overall health and well-being, but what is she concerned about right now? You might think that she’s concerned about the same things that you are, but there might be a different aspect of her health that’s upsetting her. Or she might be worried about what happens to everyone else once she’s gone. When you ask this seemingly obvious question, you eliminate any misunderstandings.
What’s Most Important to You Right Now?
Your senior’s worries might be pretty important to her, but that doesn’t mean that’s everything that she finds important. Try asking her what else is important for her right now. For instance, she might want to celebrate certain family events in person or she might want to adjust certain aspects of her care before you think it’s necessary. Touch base with her to find out what her chief focus is.
What Type of Care Would You Rather Avoid?
As your elderly family member grows closer to the end of her life, she may change her mind about some of the care decisions that she’s made in the past. She may have been trying for a more curative treatment plan, but her views on that may have changed. Find out if there are any specific treatments or types of care that she wants to stop or to avoid from here on out.
What Else Needs to Be Addressed?
Your elderly family member may want to talk to a bereavement counselor about some of the things she’s feeling right now. End-of-life care providers can help you to facilitate that. They can also help your senior to address any other affairs that she wants to put to rest in a specific way while helping you with other aspects of her care. Until you know for certain what else she wants addressed, though, you’re not going to be able to cover them for her.
You’re not going to be able to meet every need exactly as it crops up, but if you’re asking questions like these, you’re going to get pretty close to the mark. Some of these may be questions that you revisit after a few months’ time.
If you or a loved-one are considering end-of-life in Lawrenceville, GA, please call the caring staff at Arcturus Hospice and Palliative Care today. Call 678-383-9973 today to speak to our care team.
Kate Gorinshteyn is the director of marketing at Arcturus Health Care. Arcturus is a fast-growing Hospice striving to provide the highest level of quality care to patients faced with life-limiting illnesses. Our goal is to make each patient as pain-free as possible and give physiological, emotional and spiritual support to both the patient and family. We understand that the decision change from curative to comfort care is difficult, and our team is trained to help you every step of the way!
We are proud to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.
