Family Member Discussion Assistance: Coping With Life’s End

Excited family watching football, sport match at home, grandma, mother and son

If you or your loved one is diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, it can be devastating. It stirs up emotions, issues, and anxiety unequal to almost anything else in life.

It’s easy to slip into the “comfort” of denial, pretending all is well. You are hoping that the problem will slide away without having it discussed.

Well, nothing could be further from the truth. There are ways, but it may feel like there is no way to cope with life’s end issues.

Avoidance can make the situation worse, especially if family members do not have a productive discussion to bring a hospice agency into the equation.

Many families say they wish they had a family discussion sooner on coping with the life’s end problem.

If your challenge is life’s end related, hospice care can help – More so, Ameriprime hospice care. But reaching an agreement through a family discussion can help the situation on time.

Life’s End Family Member Discussion – How To Go About It

1) Decide Who Needs To Be Part Of The Discuss

Who has been on the ground in helping your loved one seek care? Is it a relative, friend, or a well-wisher? Knowing this will help decide who should be involved in the life’s end discussion.

Do close friends need to be involved, or is it better to only keep it private among family members? These are some essential questions you should consider when discussing life’s end matter with family assistance.

Also, families and patients need to have important care information needed to have a productive discussion. You may discover ways to gain this information by speaking with hospice staff, physicians, or religious (spiritual) leaders.

2) Make Preparations With an Advance Directive

Preparations towards an advance directive legal documentation are vital. It will provide written instructions about your health care or that of your loved one.

If for some reason, in the future, you or the person in question is not able to speak for himself, the advance directive will show the way forward.

With an advance directive, you or your loved one’s wishes can be revealed before the illness progresses.

It is often impossible to have a comprehensive discussion when patients are sick or sedated.

Hence, every family is often encouraged to understand the magnitude of an advanced health care plan, which comes in an advance directive.

female counselor writing in clipboard on therapy session with family in office

3) List Out Important Questions/Topics To Consider

Have a list of essential topics to be discussed created. You should make this list before the actual meeting with your family members and the care team. This step will ensure nothing important is skipped during the discussion.

Some questions to consider may include:

 

  • What medication and supplies will hospice provide?
  • Is there an on-call nurse that anyone can contact in case of an emergency?
  • Will our loved ones be able to keep their physician?
  • Will our loved one be able to ride in a car? How should they be transported?
  • Where can hospice deliver treatment? Can the treatment be received at home?
  • Can the hospice chaplain work closely with a spiritual leader (rabbi, priest, imam, etc.)?
  • What can pain management treatment be available?
  • What can be reasonably expected for our loved one’s quality of life?

 

The questions go on.

4) Take Advantage of the Free Resources Available to You

In dealing with life’s end challenges, it’s vital to know that your hospice care agency is always willing to help with valuable resources available to them.

At AmeriprimeHospice care, patients, as well as families, have access to a wealth of resources.

For instance, you can reach our compassionate and knowledgeable team of experts.

This team can include:

 

  • Registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
  • Hospice physicians and physician assistants.
  • Hospice nurse case managers.
  • Medical social workers.
  • Chaplains and volunteers
  • Certified nursing assistants.
  • Grief counselors.

 

Conclusion

If you have a loved one who has been diagnosed with a terminal or life-limiting sickness, it’s not the end of the road.

Instead of giving in to fear or the comfort of denying the obvious, have a family discussion to know the way forward. It will open you and your family to the proper steps to cope with life’s end problem.

References:

  1. 10 unexpected early signs of Parkinson’s. 
  2. Team-Building Tips – Halftime Magazine. 
  3. Discipleship: Following Jesus Christ in the Ordinary Time.
  4. Free to explore Access to Nature: learning paper 1. 
  5. To Use or Not to Use A Painter’s Tape: That Is The Question. 

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