Services
What is End of Life Care?
It refers to the medical, emotional, and practical support provided to individuals who are in the final stages of a terminal illness or nearing the end of their life. The primary goal of end-of-life care is to ensure that the person’s physical and emotional needs are met, and that they experience comfort, dignity, and quality of life during their remaining time.
Key components of end-of-life care include:
Pain and Symptom Management: Ensuring that the person is as comfortable as possible by addressing pain, nausea, breathing difficulties, and other symptoms associated with their illness.
Emotional and Psychological Support: Providing emotional assistance to both the person nearing the end of life and their family members. This can involve counselling, support groups, and opportunities for discussing fears, concerns, and wishes.
Communication: Facilitating open and honest discussions about the person’s prognosis, treatment options, and preferences for care. These conversations can involve medical professionals, the person’s family, and other relevant parties.
Decision-Making: Helping the person make informed decisions about their medical care, including whether to pursue aggressive treatment or focus on comfort care, and whether to use life-sustaining interventions like ventilators or feeding tubes.
Personal and Spiritual Care: Addressing the person’s spiritual and personal beliefs and providing the necessary support and resources for their religious or spiritual practices.
Practical and Administrative Support: Assisting with practical matters such as financial planning, legal documents (like advance directives and living wills) and arranging for hospice or palliative care services.
Hospice and Palliative Care: Hospice care is a specialised form of end-of-life care that is focused on providing comfort and support rather than curative treatment. Palliative care, on the other hand, can be integrated earlier in the illness trajectory and aims to improve the quality of life for people with serious illnesses, regardless of their prognosis.
Respect for Wishes: Ensuring that the person’s wishes and preferences for their care, including where and how they want to spend their final moments, are respected, and honored.
Providers of end-of-life care
End-of-life care is typically provided by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals and support staff who work together to address the various physical, emotional, and practical needs of individuals nearing the end of life. Some of the key providers of end-of-life care include:
Physicians and Medical Specialists: Doctors and medical specialists, such as oncologists, palliative care physicians, and hospice physicians, play a crucial role in managing pain and symptoms, discussing treatment options, and making medical decisions that align with the person’s wishes.
Nurses: Registered nurses and nurse practitioners are often at the forefront of providing direct care, including administering medications, managing symptoms, and offering emotional support to both the person and their family.
Palliative Care Teams: These teams consist of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, social workers, and other specialists, who focus on providing comprehensive pain and symptom management, as well as emotional and psychosocial support to individuals with serious illnesses.
Hospice Teams: Hospice care is provided by a team of professionals, including nurses, home health aides, social workers, chaplains, and volunteers. They offer holistic care and support, typically in the person’s home or a hospice facility, to ensure the person’s comfort and quality of life.
Social Workers: Social workers help individuals, and their families navigate the emotional and practical challenges of end-of-life care. They can provide counselling, connect families with resources, and assist with advance care planning and decision-making.
Chaplains and Spiritual Counsellors: These professionals address the spiritual and existential needs of individuals and their families, providing guidance and support in accordance with their religious or personal beliefs.
Psychologists and Counsellors: Mental health professionals can provide emotional and psychological support to individuals and their families, helping them cope with anxiety, grief, and other complex emotions.
Home Health Aides: These trained caregivers provide practical assistance with daily activities, personal care, and household tasks for individuals receiving care at home.
Volunteers: Many hospice and palliative care organisations have volunteers who offer companionship, respite care, and other forms of non-medical support to individuals and families.
Pharmacists: Pharmacists play a role in managing medication regimens, ensuring proper pain management, and addressing any potential drug interactions or side effects.
Therapists: Occupational, physical, and speech therapists may be involved in providing rehabilitation and therapeutic services to improve the person’s comfort and quality of life.
What care do people want at the end of life?
The type of care people want at the end of life can vary widely based on individual preferences, values, cultural backgrounds, and personal beliefs. However, there are some common themes and aspects of care that many individuals express as important during this time:
Comfort and Pain Management: One of the primary desires for end-of-life care is to be kept comfortable and free from pain. Many people want their pain and other distressing symptoms to be effectively managed, allowing them to experience a better quality of life in their final days.
Dignity and Respect: Individuals often wish to be treated with dignity and respect throughout the end-of-life process. This includes having their preferences and wishes honored, maintaining their privacy, and being involved in decisions about their care.
Control and Autonomy: Many people want to retain a sense of control and autonomy over their medical decisions. This might involve discussions about treatment options, the use of life-sustaining interventions, and the timing of care transitions.
Emotional and Psychosocial Support: Emotional and psychosocial support is crucial at the end of life. People want to feel heard, understood, and supported emotionally as they navigate complex feelings, fears, and concerns about dying.
Communication and Information: Clear and honest communication from healthcare providers is highly valued. Individuals want to be informed about their prognosis, treatment options, and what to expect as their illness progresses.
Spiritual and Cultural Needs: Addressing spiritual and cultural needs is important for many individuals. They may desire support from chaplains, spiritual counsellors, or cultural liaisons who understand and respect their beliefs and practices.
Fulfilling Wishes and Goals: People often want the opportunity to fulfil certain wishes or goals before they pass away. This could include spending time with loved ones, creating lasting memories, and participating in activities that hold meaning for them.
Family and Loved Ones: Many individuals want their loved ones to be supported and informed throughout the end-of-life journey. They may desire family involvement in decision-making and open channels of communication among family members.
Closure and Saying Goodbye: Having the chance to say goodbye to loved ones and settle any unfinished business can be important for both the person and their family members.
Minimal Burden on Family: Some people want to minimise the burden on their family members and caregivers. This might involve discussing advance care planning, end-of-life wishes, and potential care arrangements in advance.
What we do
- Helping families in making decisions and establishing goals of care.
- Relieving pain and other symptoms.
- Communication with families.
- Facilitating continuity during multiple admissions.
- Giving emotional, social, spiritual and bereavement services.
- Improving end-of-life care in the hospital or at home.
- Assistance with completion of advance directives.
What we provide
- Good communication with the family and their healthcare team.
- Recommendations for pain and symptom management.
- Assistance for families making difficult decisions.
- Support during transition from the hospital to home, including hospice and outpatient palliative care.
How we work
As we walk the healthcare journey with a patient, our main priority is to empower the patient and their family to be able to make the best medical care decisions possible.
When the patient, family or healthcare team requests a consultation, our team will meet with the family and the healthcare providers. We ask the family members about their goals and wishes and about their worries and concerns. At all times, we keep in mind the patient’s quality of life with a strong focus on the management of any pain or other symptoms they may be experiencing.
We then determine how our services can help the patient and their family meet their goals, and we make recommendations to the healthcare team.
