When faced with a severe illness, it is normal for patients to seek out the support of a specialist. The aim is to have medications administered to them, and the quality of their life improved.
In cases of the constant pain experience, patients expect pain management procedures to be initiated. With this, a patient can be sure of living life to the fullest even in the final days of life.
Patients facing heart disease want a well-trained cardiologist by their side. For cancer issues, an oncologist with expertise in the specified cancer area is called.
When it comes to terminally ill patients, hospice care is the comfort care specialist called to satisfy patients’ needs regarding pain control and pain management at the end of life.
Hospice Pain Management
Pain management is one primary goal of effective hospice care. It involves managing symptoms and keeping a patient comfortable.
The aim with this is to ensure patient they have the highest quality of life throughout their lifetime.
Not all end-of-life patients experience severe pain at their life’s end. Nonetheless, recognizing pain and treating it effectively is essential.
A good hospice care team evaluates a patient’s pain on every visit by employing the clinician’s expertise of pain rating scales.
In Ameriprime Hospice care, we believe that no one should die alone, and similarly, no one should die in pain.
Paying Attention To The Signs and Symptoms of Pain
Many patients can assess and communicate their pain levels. What about some others? They cannot. Many believe that admitting pain is a show of weakness – which is not valid.
In other severe cases, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease make it challenging to communicate their needs.
In any case, caregivers should be on the lookout for signs and symptoms that indicate pains and the need for hospice.
Signs To Look Out For
Some signs to keep an eye on include the following:
- Holding arm or leg muscles tightly or sustaining a rigid body posture
- Increased breathing rate
- Tightly closed eyes or rapid blinking
- An increase in the patient’s systolic blood pressure from their baseline
- Rocking, fidgeting, or pacing
- Resisting care or guarding certain areas of the body when turning
- Vocalizations such as moaning, calling out, sighing, and requesting help
- Becoming withdrawn
- Becoming more aggressive or easily angered
- Crying for no reason
- Increased confusion
Pain Management – Effective Ways To Deal With Pains
Pain management in hospice care is not just about keeping the patient on a heavy dose of analgesics. Typically, doctors and trained nurses involved in this care process make end-of-life less painful.
Hospice care does not encourage any treatment to recover from a terminal illness, but it strives to improve quality of life.
Some Ways Hospice Deals With Pain Challenges
Physical therapy:
It may help overcome muscular pain and make patients more independent for movement. This approach can reduce pain and improve the quality of the end of life.
Occupational Therapy:
It can also help reduce muscular pain and improve the ability to perform activities using the upper limbs. This approach can help to improve the quality of life and reduce the pain in muscles and joints.
Spiritual Exercises and Practices:
It can also help to reduce stress and emotional pain as the patient’s acceptance of death. Patients improve with the involvement of spiritual counseling.
Dietitians:
It can also help make an end-of-life experience less painful by planning a diet that positively affects health and reduces any discomfort related to diet.
Medications:
We always have medical staff on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to deal with the worst pains. Although we attempt to remove pain naturally, the hospice patient usually requires a strong dose of pain medication to alleviate their physical ailments.
Conclusion
When a patient is receiving hospice care, it means they have been diagnosed with six months or less to live. There is, therefore, no time to develop pain-medication addiction.
Therefore, looking at pain management and how to use the most effective tool to enjoy relief should be the primary concern.
But the truth is, sometimes it’s not easy to control pain just by using pain medicines. The involvement of physical therapy, occupational therapy, spiritual counseling, and a dietitian can also help physicians make end-of-life less painful. With this, a better quality of life is provided.
References:
