Decisions that need to be made at the end of your senior’s life can feel like some of the most complicated ones you’ll ever make. They might require you to make some educated guesses, especially about the types of end-of-life care and treatments your elderly family member might have wanted. Although you may be the person making these decisions, you don’t necessarily have to make them in a vacuum.
Your Senior Should Be Involved
If she’s able to still talk with you about what she wants near the end of her life, your senior is the best person to get advice from on this topic. Even if she isn’t able to talk with you about her preferences now, perhaps you had conversations in the past that you can refer to now. Rely on what you know about what your senior wanted and what she valued. That information is vital to you now at this stage.
Whoever Holds Your Senior’s Medical POA
Odds are that if you’re the primary family caregiver for your senior you already are the person authorized to make her medical decisions. But if by chance you’re not that person, you’ll need to make those decisions together at the very least. Talk through all of the options and come to a solution that makes the most sense based on the wants that your senior expressed.
Some Family Members
Depending on how your family operates, other family members might have a bit of a say in what happens, too. They may have gone through similar situations or your senior may have expressed her wishes to them. Just because they have an opinion, though, doesn’t mean that they’re the final authority on what happens. There may yet be advice they can offer, however.
Her Doctors and Specialists
Your senior’s doctors can be invaluable to you and to other family members when it comes to understanding her prognoses and her needs. They can also recommend treatment options based on what they’ve talked with your elderly family member about regarding her future health. Understanding all the options available to your senior can help you to make the right choices.
The decision to bring in hospice elder care is never an easy one. If you’re the only person your senior authorized to make that decision, you might feel a bit overwhelmed. Even when the final decision is yours, you can still get advice and help.
If you or a loved-one are considering hospice elder care in Atlanta, 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.