Grief Support for Seniors Can Be Very Challenging
When an elderly loved one needs more assistance than you are able to provide, senior care is often the obvious option. And senior care becomes end of life care when it becomes apparent that the natural cycle of life is taking its course, and the end is near and inevitable.
In these situations, care turns from attempting to prolong the individual’s life to making them as comfortable as possible in the time they have left. End of life care can still involve many medications and treatments, but these are generally more oriented towards pain and symptom management than anything else.
End of life care can be extremely challenging for care givers. In addition to the difficulty of seeing a loved one, who may have cared for the caregiver at one time, in a helpless state, anticipating the end while trying to keep the individual happy and comfortable can be difficult and stressful. It’s important for caregivers to have as much support as possible during this time.
Caregiver Needs During End of Life Care
As the primary caregiver for a loved one facing the end of life, there will be a number of needs you should address, including the following issues.
Practical Assistance: Your loved one may need help bathing, eating, using the bathroom, getting dressed and with other daily activities. These are certainly activities you can do as a care giver, but it will be to your advantage to have the assistance of a personal care expert or nurse, especially if you are not particularly skilled in these areas of care.
Comfort: Your loved one may be in serious need of comfort during this time. They may be frightened, depressed, lonely, or experiencing a myriad of other emotions. While you will do your best to alleviate these fears, having someone to share your experiences with can help you from falling into the same emotional pits as your loved one. The stronger you are able to be, the more help you can be to your loved one during this intensely emotional time.
Grief Support: Anticipating the death of a loved one can give rise to a range of emotions, everything from anger to sadness to relief to guilt. Understanding these emotions and having someone who can help you through them will be extremely important during this difficult time.
Placement for End of Life Care
If your loved one has needed the benefits of assisted living for some time now, it can be even more important for them to continue with a qualified care facility during this time. The right hospice placement can allow you to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones while making sure all of their physical and pain management needs are cared for by professionals with access to the necessary tools, experience and equipment.
This can also take some of the burden off of you as the caregiver, leaving you better equipped to be there for your loved one in their final hours.
Professional Support for Care Givers in Portland and Northern CA
If you are looking to place a loved one in a hospice care environment in Portland, or you feel that you need to move your loved one from their current care facility to one better equipped to handle end-of-life issues, please contact Golden Placement Services right away.
Golden Placement Services has a team of highly experienced professionals that can help you sort out all the choices and information available to you as someone seeking placement for your ailing loved one in the Portland Metro or Northern California areas.
We’ll help you find just the right situation at no additional charge. The peace of mind that comes with knowing that your loved one is in a place where they will be cared for is truly priceless. Golden Placement Services can help make that a reality today.
