INTRODUCTION: At the end of life, each story is different. Death comes suddenly, or a person lingers, gradually failing. For some older people, the body weakens while the mind stays alert. Others remain physically strong, and cognitive losses take a huge toll.  But for everyone, death is inevitable, and each loss is personally felt by those close to the one who has died.

End-of-life care is the term used to describe the support and medical care given during the time surrounding death. Such care does not happen just in the moments before breathing finally stops and a heart ceases to beat. An older person is often living, and dying, with one or more chronic illnesses and needs a lot of care for days, weeks, and sometimes even months.

End of Life: Helping With Comfort and Care hopes to make the unfamiliar territory of death slightly more comfortable for everyone involved. This publication is based on research, such as that supported by the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health. This research base is augmented with suggestions from practitioners with expertise in helping individuals and families through this difficult time. Throughout the booklet, the terms comfort care, supportive care, and palliative care are used to describe individualized care that can provide a dying person the best quality of life until the end. Most of the stories in this booklet are fictitious, but they depict situations that reflect common experiences at the end of life.

When a doctor says something like, “I’m afraid the news is not good.  There are no other treatments for us to try. I’m sorry,” it may close the door to the possibility of a cure, but it does not end the need for medical support. Nor does it end the involvement of family and friends. There are many places and a variety of ways to provide care for an older person who is dying. Such care often involves a team. If you are reading this, then you might be part of such a team.

Helping With Comfort and Care provides an overview of issues commonly facing people caring for someone nearing the end of life. It can help you to work with health care providers to complement their medical and caregiving efforts. The booklet does not replace the personal and specific advice of the doctor, but it can help you make sense of what is happening and give you a framework for making care decisions.

Visit End of Life: Helping With Comfort and Care Website

Read the book online, or you can download full publication in PDF format.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

CONTENTS:
3 Introduction
5 Providing Comfort at the End of Life
18 Finding Care at the End of Life
32 Dementia at the End of Life
36 Understanding Health Care Decisions
48 What Happens When Someone Dies
51 Things to Do After Someone Dies
54 Getting Help for Your Grief
57 Planning for End-of-Life Care Decisions
63 Closing Thoughts
64 Resources

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

Many Americans have little experience with someone who is dying. But, when the time comes, unless the death is unexpected and quick, there are choices to be made. These may not be easy. But planning ahead and working with the health care team can help you provide needed comfort.

You will probably remember for a long time what you do for someone who is dying. Realize that this is a difficult time for you too. Caring for someone at the end of life can be physically and emotionally exhausting.

In the end, accept that there may be no perfect death, just the best you can do for the one you love. And the pain of losing someone close to you may be softened a little because, when they needed you, you did what you could.

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment