Palliative and end of life care must be a priority. The quality and accessibility of this care will affect all of us and it must be made consistently better for all of us. The needs of people of all ages who are coming to terms with the end of life must have their families, carers and communities addressed. Ensuring their priorities, preferences and wishes are taken into account.

We cannot defeat death. The question is, how will we deal with that? How are we going to create confidence in the care that we may need? And how do we promote the wellbeing of those living with loss? We can start by changing the way we talk about dying, death and bereavement and prepare, plan, care and support those who are dying and the people who are close to them. We must strengthen and improve our ability to provide care whatever the circumstances of our dying.

Change for 6 Principles of End of Life Care-

  • Overarching Principles of EOL Care
  • Assessment and Care Planning
  • Comfort and Wellbeing
  • Advanced Care Planning
  • Communication
  • Care of the Dying in the last days of life

The resident’s main social needs include being free of worries about what is happening at home and how their loved ones are coping. Support and advice on practical matters such as getting the resident’s affairs in order and making sure the family can visit are essential.

It is important to recognise that people in the last year of life can feel very isolated from friends as their condition gets worse. Even in the care home, residents may not be able to join in social activities they once enjoyed due to weakness or tiredness. This can mean they spend lots of time alone in their room.

It is important to provide company and think about what we can do to help if someone is feeling lonely. It may also be important to a resident to sort out their affairs and write a will or organise their funeral if they know they are going to die soon

To help with this the HCPA have gathered several local contacts with the hospices so that any provider has the correct support at the right time.