Caregivers

Being a caregiver can be a challenging, stressful, but yet an important job. Whether you care caring for a patient, family member, or friend, there are some important things to think about during the end of life. For a patient who is still able to be involved in end of life decisions and cares, it is extremely important to allow them to do so. For the persons who are not able to be involved it is important to help family members through this process.

Here are six steps you can take to be an effective caregiver:

• Work and communicate effectively with the patient.
• Support the patient’s spiritual concerns.
• Help to resolve the patient’s unfinished business.
• Work with health professionals.
• Work with family and friends.
• Take care of your own needs and feelings.
(American College of Physicians, 2011)

Every situation is different. In some situations the patient is taken care of at the end of life by a healthcare professional, sometimes a family member, and sometimes a friend. There are different things to think about when these different types of caregivers are caring for a patient during the end of life.

Here is some information to keep in mind when working with healthcare professionals at the time of end of life:

• Be clear about your wants and needs. Make sure all your questions get answered.
• Make sure you have all the information available that the healthcare professional may need. Some of this information may include personal information (birth date, social security number, and ect.), living will, advance directives, contact information, emergency contact information, your goals, concerns, questions, wants and needs.
Here is some information to keep in mind for family members and friends who are caring for family members at the end of life:
• This can be a very stressful and tiring process, so always ask for help!
• Take care of yourself also.
• Know it is okay to feel overwhelmed.
• Discuss and learn about the grief process at the end of life, which may include all or some of the following: anger, guilt, and fear.
• Know the patient’s wishes.

Reference:
The American College of Physicians. (2011). Hospice. Retrived from http://hospicenet.org/html/supportive_how.html.