A recent blog highlighted the necessity to encourage discussion about palliative care as an alternative end-of-life option to euthanasia. (blog link)  Over 70% of Quebeckers willingly chose euthanasia as an appropriate way for a patient to die with dignity.  As highlighted in the blog, palliative care is an end-of-life approach that provides comfort and pain management to ensure the patient receives quality care and dies with dignity.  Yet, the majority of the population doesn’t seem to understand the benefits or reasoning behind palliative care.

Palliative care is one of the most demanding fields a caregiver can engage in, both, emotionally and intellectually.  When treating a patient in their final stages of illness, a caregiver needs to be equipped for any and all expected and unexpected behaviours.  They also have to take into consideration the needs of the family. 

Equinoxe trains their caregivers specifically to handle all aspects of a palliative case.  It is important to understand that palliative care giving requires specifically skilled individuals with adequate bedside care and a mentally prepared spirit.  The following list illustrates the requisites a palliative caregiver should have to ensure that they will deliver the highest quality of care possible.  

 The 10 “Needs” of a Palliative Caregiver

1. The caregiver needs to be additionally trained in end-of-life care over and above their basic training in caregiving.
2. The caregiver needs to have well honed interpersonal skills, knowledge of the dying process, knowledge of nutritional needs, knowledge of personal care including skin care and mouth care, knowledge of transfers and measuring and recording the change in vital signs throughout the last days of life.
3. The caregiver needs to have specific knowledge of the palliative process and strategies of supporting families at the end of life.
4. The caregiver needs to be able to work as a member of the palliative team and communicate effectively with the doctors, nurses, counselors, chaplains and social workers.
5. The caregiver needs to have witnessed a death or have learned about the bodily changes so they can respond appropriately.
6. The caregiver needs to understand a Do Not Resuscitate order and know how to react as death approaches.
7. The caregiver needs to be flexible allowing the client to indicate when care is needed and when it should be given.
8. The caregiver needs to respect the patients’ right to privacy and confidentiality – and also that of the family.
9. The caregiver needs to honour the rights of the patient by treating the patient with dignity and respect, explaining what is being done even if the patient does not respond or appears not to hear.
10. The caregiver needs to be empathic and understanding to meet the psychological and emotional needs of the family by listening to and hearing the clients and be available to whoever needs to talk about their fluctuating emotions.

Should you or someone you know, desire a palliative care giver, knowing that he or she has been trained to manage palliative situations can put your mind at ease.  If you would like more information about palliative care or Equinoxe’s provision of skilled caregivers, call 514 935-2600 to speak to a Care Manager.