Providing Comfort Care at Home

Research has shown, and it’s rather intuitive, that people would much prefer to pass away at home instead of in a hospital bed. However, when someone is ill, it can be challenging, and yes, even a bit scary for someone to commit to providing comfort care for a terminally ill family member. Caretakers need a good amount of support to live up to the challenge, but with that support they can take on the task and feel confident about what they’re doing.

Talking it out

It can be very uncomfortable for someone to discuss end-of-life issues with someone that may confront them very shortly. However, this talk has to happen, and with it, the discomfort will lessen and the caregiver can receive the information that she needs to provide the best possible care for the patient. The caregiver should give the patient the freedom to explain what he needs, and they should have a conversation about how the caregiver can provide that.

Getting the support you need

After you have a list of the patient’s needs, you may be overwhelmed by how to make it happen. This is where outside support steps in. you don’t have a nursing degree, yet you need to provide that type of care. Get educated about how to give comfort care for a patient, and enlist others to aid and guide you. That also means putting together a list of people who may help you out, whether providing respite care or simply being available to lend a hand. One person cannot supply all the care a patient needs.

You can also look into visiting nurse services, so while you provide the comfort care that your loved one needs, someone else can provide the medical care to keep him healthy.

Medical care

Another important piece of the picture is having all of the emergency numbers you need in case something happens. Preparation is key here for keeping the situation as easy as possible. This means the doctors on the case as well as paramedics and emergency services. The people who are involved in the case should have a clear understanding of the patient’s wishes, so no time will be lost in fulfilling them. And if the relevant medical information is already on file, urgent care can be provided faster.

Learning about comfort care

Providing in-home care is about more than simply being around and serving food or a smile, although those are important, too. Taking a workshop given in a local facility can give caregivers a larger look at what it means to make a patient comfortable in illness and to not lose out on other parts of life in the process.

And it’s also important to keep in mind that if it’s not possible to provide the comfort care or medical care that a patient needs from home, there are fully-equipped facilities that can do it in your stead.

At the Alameda Center, we take pride in giving over excellent comfort care for patients who are dealing with illness and cannot be provided for at home. We have expert staff members who are trained to provide excellent care and can give your patient the comfort he needs to recuperate and feel better.

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