End Of Life Care  Norwich

End of life care might be for a few days, months, or longer. Many people benefit from this supportive care, from those facing imminent death to those managing a terminal illness over a significant period. Individual circumstances vary:

• Those who are expected to die within a year
• Individuals with advanced, incurable illnesses
• Frail individuals with multiple conditions, expected to be fatal within 12 months
• Those with existing conditions that are vulnerable to sudden critical decline
• People with life-threatening sudden conditions from accidents or strokes

If you or someone you love is approaching the end of life, your GP will advise on local services and support options, including end of life care in Norwich.

End of life care aims to maximize comfort and well-being during the person’s remaining time. It can cover:

• Physical symptom management: pain relief, medication and alternative options
• Daily assistance: help with bathing, dressing and other tasks
• Emotional support: counselling, spiritual guidance and compassionate care
• Communication and planning: discussing the individual’s wishes and needs with family and loved ones, including preferred places of End of Life Care and death.
• Practical support: assistance with legal matters (wills), financial matters, and other practical concerns.

It’s never too early to start these conversations. Discussing End of Life Care preferences and wishes beforehand ensures the best possible experience during this sensitive time. Planning ahead gives the individual more control and helps loved ones understand the individual’s desires.

At The Home Team our registered manager, Tyler-Louise, will take the lead in managing our team and how we respond and provide End of Life Care to each client. The emphasis is always on an empathetic response to what will suit each client best.

We focus on minimising the size of our team, as they become attuned to any changes in our client, their drinking and eating, whether or not they are complaining of pain, how much they are sleeping and their interactions with us and others present. It is very important to recognise that different people will not only have different physical needs, they will also have different desires in how they are looked after.

One of our clients particularly liked one of our carers because she was very chatty and calm and made our client feel as though life was going on as normal, without any drama or the need for solemnity, so we arranged for that particular carer to be with her as much as possible.

Another of our clients had a great sense of humour and two of our male carers were her favourites, so we made sure that they were with that client very regularly.

It is inevitable, as part of End of Life Care, that the death of a client who we have cared for has an impact on our team members and because of that we make sure that we are also there for our team, giving them time if they need it and the chance to download.

Watch our carer Alex talking about end of life care: