It’s often the most difficult topics that are the most important ones to talk about. How we deal with uncomfortable conversations defines our character. These situations can help us know ourselves better and create a more comfortable and responsible life. It isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary to practice thoughtfulness when approaching tough topics.
Things that go unsaid or unplanned can end up being a lot more challenging in the long run, as we were not prepared for them. Breaching tough and emotional topics can help you prepare for what’s to come rather than stewing in the anticipation of the inevitable.
One of these uncomfortable yet necessary conversations is the topic of end of life care. Readers may very well be facing situations with their parents, grandparents, spouses, or friends with whom this conversation may be necessary. While it’s a difficult and emotional conversation to tackle, it’s something we have to do for those that we love to ensure that all parties are adequately taken care of during the end of life process. It won’t be easy, but it does need to be approached. Continue reading for a handful of reasons why it’s crucial to broach the topic rather than take it as it comes.
Plan for a Better Quality of Life
The most primary reason to discuss end of life care with your loved ones is to plan for their future. Their quality of life is going to be heavily affected as they age and lose the vitality they once had. Talking about what their care plan might look like can ease a huge amount of stress, both for the person facing it and their families.
This way, you can have a realistic outlook on what they’ll need and be able to communicate with other family members who can send a gift with Goody to show their love and support for your family. These topics can be hard to approach, but doing so opens the door for more people to support you and your family’s efforts to plan for a better quality of life for the necessary people.
During this process, it’s important to stay in communication with the person you’re planning end of life care for. Depending on their age or situation, it’s possible they’re using a phone plan that has far too many features and is much more expensive than it needs to be. Red Pocket mobile plans offer an affordable solution for anyone who wants to steer away from big phone companies but still wants to be in close contact with their loved ones.
The Necessity of Comfort
Comfort is a necessary commodity for someone entering the end of life stage. For most, hospitals and care facilities are less than desirable places to spend their last days. Many organizations can be utilized to access hospice care in the home, and you can gain easy access to a hospital bed in home with Transfer Master, a company that specializes in home care items and needs. This can be a huge blessing for those who know the end is near for their loved one and want to make sure they can live out their days in the home they love and cherish. Care homes can be the right thing for some people, especially in situations where property has been sold. But for those who still have their home, it’s important for them to be where they feel most at ease in their final days.
At the end of the day, all we can do for someone is make sure they are comfortable and safe in any kind of intense situation. Comfort for those nearing the end of their life is likely the most vital thing to consider, and having a plan for that will keep you, your family, and your aging loved one at ease knowing they can be taken care of in the comfort of their own home.
Another layer to end of life comfort is making sure the people doing the caregiving are able to care for themselves as well. Seeing a family member or loved one reach the end of their life can be a deeply emotional and strenuous process, which can affect things like diet and sleep patterns. Getting the right amount of food and good quality sleep is important for caregivers, as they need to be able to show up with the best version of themselves to help their loved ones. It may not work for everyone, but caregivers may be able to achieve deeper sleep with edibles from Sunflora. Be sure to do your research before taking any type of supplement with CBN or CBD.
Bodily Autonomy
One of the things you’ll have to include in your conversation is what to do when someone’s mobility starts to deteriorate. This can be one of the hardest parts of the process, as once a person stops being able to do things like climb stairs and get around on their own, it likely won’t come back again—you’ll need to have a plan in place for when that does happen.
Walkers, wheelchairs, and shower stools are all tools that can help a person entering end of life care. It could also be helpful to understand more about compression boots through 1AND1 Life and learn how they can help with circulation and potentially strengthen muscles in those that are experiencing mobility issues.
Along with mobility, vision and hearing are two senses that can start to deteriorate and make it harder for someone to get around their home. Adapting bodily autonomy for someone in hospice care means providing them with as much comfort and amenities as possible to make simple tasks like getting to the bathroom at night easier. Motion sensor lights from Articture can help illuminate hallways or areas of the home that don’t have easily accessible light switches.
Future Care Plans
Finally, the most important reason to talk about end of life care is simply to have a plan. Right now, the aging people in your life may or may not be at the stage of entering end of life care, but it’s essential to have a plan and understand their wishes regardless. Planning for their current and future care is all about making sure they are comfortable and taken care of in their old age.
At the same time, there is only so much we can truly prepare for. Things happen, and sometimes those things are out of our control. Having a plan doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t deviate from it. In fact, that may be entirely necessary as a person goes through the final stages of life. Emergencies, medical complications, and new situations arise all the time, which means that while we need to plan ahead, we also need to be flexible.
For someone who may be close to beginning their end of life process, experiencing mobility issues, or displaying signs of memory loss, it may be a good safety precaution to look into a personal alarm from Lively. These devices send out an alert signal and can call an ambulance for someone who has fallen, experienced cardiac arrest, or something else that has rendered them immobile. This can be a wonderful way to stay cautious and make sure that even when family isn’t around, the elderly in your family still have a way to get help in case they need it, putting everyone’s mind at ease.
Conclusion
These topics are never easy to talk about. We don’t want to think about losing the people we love, but without clear communication, families can be left feeling scrambled and confused about what comes next. Having honest, real conversations with family members can help you decide together what the best route forward is.
In general, it’s important to consider the person’s comfort over everything else. At the end of our life, there isn’t much we can do other than wait, and this can be a challenging process for the person going through it, let alone the people caring for them. At this stage, it’s our duty to ensure the person is where they want to be with the people they want to be around. Medically, all that can be done is make sure the person is experiencing as little pain as possible to help the process move along naturally.
As a person approaches the stage of needing hospice care, make sure that they have access to care and help, especially if they live alone or are prone to things like falls or memory loss. More than likely, it will be necessary for them to live with a family member or in a care facility as they lose the ability to care for themselves. It can be a painful thing to go through, but you can make it much easier by talking about the process and coming to a common understanding with your family.
