Do You Know?
Article by Diane Fasselius, BA, RN, Community Education Specialist
We might think we will know what our loved ones will need as they journey through the end of life. The only person who truly knows what is needed is the person who is dying. Helping patients understand the options available to manage their care, while at the same time respecting those decisions, is the best way to honor them and provide the dignity they deserve.
From the beginning, hospice care centers around the needs of the patient. Along with pain and symptom management, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual needs are addressed. One of the hallmarks of hospice is a holistic approach that places the patient and all their needs as the focus of care. The patient is encouraged to participate in care decisions. Honoring the patient’s choices and providing compassion and respect throughout the journey adds to their quality of life. The patient is the focus of care and what matters to them should matter to all who are caring for them.
One way to gain information about a loved one’s needs is to provide an open and honest environment. It is also important to respect the need for privacy; remain sensitive to what they want to share and what they do not feel comfortable sharing. Kindness, compassion, and understanding cannot be overemphasized. Assuring personal comfort and offering support emotionally and spiritually as the person desires can make all the difference. Most patients will be honest about the amount of support and what kind of care they need or want when they are able to express themselves safely and without judgment.
Patients need to be treated as living human beings with a sense of hopefulness about what lies ahead. To express emotions honestly and gently can enhance the quality of life.
Book Suggestion: The Needs of the Dying, A Guide for Bringing Hope, Comfort, and Love to Life’s Final Chapter by David Kessler. In this book, David Kessler, who has co-authored with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, identifies key areas of concern and reflection over the mysterious and beautiful moments that await us all. Using comforting and touching stories, he provides information to help us meet the needs of a loved one at this important time in life.