An inevitable part of life is that we will all have a final chapter, but we don’t really like to talk about it until we have reached that chapter.
So how do we know when a person needs end of life care? Why is it a difficult subject for us to talk about? When we enter the world there is so much emphasis on being brought into the best environment possible, so why should it be any different when we leave? Over the course of Dying Matters Week, 8th-14th May, we are going to aim to answer all of these difficult questions in our series of blogs exploring End of Life care to give you the confidence and trust to help you make the right decisions and choose your best care.
What is End of Life Care?
End of life care is defined as health care for people who are in the final hours, days or months of their lives. The NHS considers people to be approaching the end of life when they are likely to die within the next 12 months, although this isn’t always possible to predict. More broadly it is the care of those with a terminal illness or terminal condition that has become advanced, progressive and incurable, often described as palliative care.
Tailored care
The aim of end of life care is to help a person to live as well as possible until they die, and to do so with dignity. However, it should also include supporting those who are most important to the person, whether this be their family, companion or friends.
Good end of life care is tailored to the person who needs it and at Morris Care we ensure that the whole person is cared for compassionately, kindly and aligned with their preferences in their final days. For example, if a resident would like their cat to sit on the bed near them, that’s fine. If they want to sit in the garden to see the flowers or listen to birdsong, then that’s fine too because caring for the smallest needs is just as important as the biggest needs.
We believe that caring for someone in the final days of their life is a great privilege. For some it is the most emotional and important time which is why we are committed to respecting dignity, controlling symptoms and working holistically with other professionals to provide holistic and high quality care.
The simple answer for us is that it shouldn’t be about whether somebody has days or hours left, they should be entitled to live the best they can, until the day they die.
For more information about end of life care services at Morris Care, click here.
If you’d like to speak to someone about end of life services at Morris Care, call us on 0345 515 0098.
