There may come a time in life when you need some help caring for a loved one who is facing a life-threatening illness. Our Palliative care end of life article is about that. This can be an incredibly difficult time and you will want to do all you can to ensure that they are getting the care that they deserve in relation to the treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychological and spiritual.

Thankfully, many care agencies in the UK offer a service called ‘palliative care’. Simply put, this is a form of end of life care that is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness faced. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis and the overall aim of this care is to improve the quality of life for both your loved one and you at this difficult time. If you are interested in palliative care and would like to find out more about the benefits of this service, keep reading today. 

Palliative Care End of Life: The Benefits

One of the biggest benefits of palliative care is that your loved one will get to stay in their own home. Being in familiar surroundings with all of their own belongings will instantly put them at ease and make them feel comforted. 

This in-home care helps you to avoid the stress, upset and rules of a traditional hospice or nursing home. You can feel relaxed knowing that your family member or friend is in their own bed, with a one-on-one carer who is there to support them and, you can go and see them whenever you’d like to. 

Personalised and professional care 

No two people are the same, neither is their condition, so their care shouldn’t be either. Palliative care is completely tailored to the needs and preferences of your family member or friend and the care that they will be receiving is incredibly flexible. Any changes or developments to their health will be tracked and adjustments can be made as required.

You can trust that the carer by your loved one’s side will also be professionally trained and qualified to provide the level of care and support that they need. They will always meet the high standard of the CQC so, you won’t ever need to worry. 

Companionship and distraction 

As much as you will want to be there for your loved one, life gets in the way and if you still have to work and take care of your family then you understandably won’t be able to spend as much time as you’d like with them. Thankfully, palliative care isn’t just medical, it is also companionship and a carer can be a great distraction from this. 

Whether you’re loved one has short term live in carers to support them through the last few days or carers who will be by their side for months, you can trust that they will do all they can to lift their spirits. This is such an important part of palliative care. 

Decision making and planning ahead 

Unfortunately, at the moment in time when you’re in need of palliative care, there will be some difficult decisions that need to be made. It is important to understand your loved one’s wishes and ensure that they are met at all times. 

You probably won’t be in the right frame of mind to handle all of this yourself and thankfully, this is something else a carer can support you with. They understand the situation and with their previous experience, they fully understand how to go about ensuring that your loved one stays in control at all time, even in regards to planning ahead. 

Arranging palliative care for a loved one 

If after finding out more about end of life palliative care and how it can help your loved one you’d like to arrange this, please don’t hesitate to contact Safe Hands Live-in Care. Their friendly team are here to discuss your loved one’s needs in more detail and help you to organise the perfect care plan to ensure that they’re getting all of the support they require at this time. 

You can trust that Safe Hands Live-in Care will provide you with the expert, safe, dignified, respectful and confidential care that you are looking for. If you have any questions at all about palliative care or any of the other live-in care services we can provide, we will gladly answer these for you and provide you with all of the additional information you require.