Compassionate Live-in And Visiting Home Care Services
Professional, personal, and committed care for the elderly and older adults at risk in Devon
Helping you or your relatives live a fulfilling, independent life safely at home with flexible, cost-effective, and exceptional personal care.
Supporting your loved one towards their end of life
12 Apr 2022 Mary Lorimer Care support / General
It was Mary Lorimer's experience of supporting her mother in her last months that made her realise that she needed to create Care With Kindness. "I wanted others to benefit from the care that I felt I should have received in looking after my Mother. The whole experience for me was incredibly stressful, all the time there is this sense of impending doom, a feeling in the pit of your stomach, a racing heart...", she said, "the stress was increased by having to make decisions that I felt were beyond me, all the time confronted by seeing a loved one in pain and ultimately dying".
As a result of this experience, Mary recognised that a number of factors would have made her experience more bearable which have been integrated into the Care With Kindness end of life support. "I'm delighted that we will be offering this support - with real empathy, enabling the loved ones to experience the final days in a more positive way."
As part of this support, Care With Kindness has committed to ensuring that the following principles are applied:
- Realistic and empathetic conversations. By having open conversations at an appropriate time, Care With Kindness can explain how the end of life process is likely to take effect. This approach will need to avoid jargon, enable questions and must talk about how the end of life might look.
- Advanced planning for support. By planning ahead, family members can obtain a better sense of control which can allow them to spend quality time with their loved ones.
- Caring for the family. We recognise that the end of life experience is uniquely stressful and we do what is required to provide the necessary support for them as well as their loved one.
- Flexible support. As the signs show that the loved one is moving towards end of life, Care With Kindness will provide additional support as they move into the final phase.
"There is no doubt about it", said Mary, "my Mother would be delighted that we are making such a commitment to others through our own experience. She had previously been a nurse and understood what good care was all about"