The Hospice Conversation: Tips from Hired Hands Homecare
Talking through emotions with someone in need of hospice care is important.
When someone you love has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, it might seem as though the best course of action is to talk about anything and everything BUT the illness and diagnosis, to ensure a positive, upbeat atmosphere and boost the person’s spirits. Yet although it is most certainly a good idea to offer a bright spot in the person’s life by staying optimistic, it’s just as important to provide the individual with ample opportunities to talk through any thoughts, feelings, and fears.
To take it a step further, providing the hospice patient with the opportunity to talk through end-of-life concerns can help lift a tremendous burden. So what’s the best approach to let your loved one know you’re available to share in these kinds of difficult discussions?
Beginning a challenging conversation about end-of-life issues is never easy. Yet oftentimes the individual receiving hospice care will want to initiate the discussion. In fact, any reluctance to discontinue curative treatment is often most challenging for the person receiving care BECAUSE of his or her loved ones.
The hospice patient may be undergoing treatment that will neither prolong life nor enhance quality of life, simply to avoid addressing the unpleasant facts with family and loved ones. Or, the person’s loved ones may be putting off holding a conversation about the circumstances because of a fear that the person will think they have given up. Either way, an open, heart-to-heart conversation is always best to understand your loved one’s thoughts and to offer the reassurance that you want what is best for him or her – and that you’ll be there to listen to anything and everything the person feels like sharing.
After hospice care is in place, patients and their loved ones both often experience a sense of relief, knowing the person receiving care will now have all of the compassion and support needed, and the focus can be shifted to spending quality time together.
The mindset should now be that there are many things to be done from this point going forward. It’s a matter of shifting goals, rather than giving up on them. This means focusing on appropriate treatment methods, continued involvement of the physician, and continued involvement of the family.
Hospice care gives patients the chance to finish up life’s business and let go in a way that provides peace. And the professional hospice team at Hired Hands Homecare is here to walk beside you each step of the way. Providing the highest quality hospice care Pleasanton, CA and the surrounding area have to offer, we invite you to contact us any time at (866) 940-4343, or complete our online contact form to request additional resources or to request an in-home consultation.
Leave a Reply