Questions about Care
What can I do about my loved one sleeping more and becoming less involved with what is going on around them?
A: Let your loved one sleep. It is more important to be with them than to do things for them. As the body gets weaker a person may sleep more and be less involved with what is going on around them, possibly even rejecting your comfort measures.
What can I do when my loved one gets confused?
A: An ill person may get confused because less oxygen is getting to the brain. They may tell you about "strange dreams." Calmly orient your loved one to their surroundings and who is there with them.
What can I do when my loved one has difficulty with seeing, hearing, and talking?
A: Seeing, hearing and talking may become more difficult. All of these abilities require energy and concentration; the nervous system may not be working as well as normal. Since breathing may be difficult, talking may be difficult as well. Talk clearly, but not any louder than normal. Keep the lights as bright as your loved one wants them, even at night. Hearing is the last sense to go, so when in the room, talk as if your loved one can hear even if they don’t respond. Many people are able to talk until the last minute and some last few words are very comfortable.
What can I do when I hear a gurgle or a rattle from my loved one?
A: Fluid may build up in the throat and a gurgle or rattle will be heard. Your loved one may try to cough up these fluids. The mouth may get dry and encrusted with dried fluids. Medication drops may be given to dry secretions. The humidity from a cool mist vaporizer may help. Cleaning the mouth with swabs dipped in glycerin or cool water will help with the dry mouth. Offer water in small sips to keep the mouth moist.
What can I do when my loved one’s breathing becomes slower?
A: Breathing may become slower and may even stop for 20 to 30 seconds at a time. Your loved one may have difficulty breathing and may make moaning sounds with each breath. As death nears, breathing may become more regular but more shallow and "mechanical". Raise the head of the bed if it helps your loved one breath. "Moaning" may be air moving over relaxed vocal cords and not a sign of pain or distress.
What can I do when my loved one becomes restless?
A: Your loved one may become restless as he or she gets less oxygen to his/her brain. It is not unusual for the patient to pull at bedding, "see things", or try to get out of bed. In a calm voice tell the patient you are there and he/she is all right. Keep them safe from falling if they try to get up. Soft music or a back rub may quiet your loved one.
What can I do when my loved one’s temperature continuously fluctuates?
A: Your loved one may feel hot one minute and cold the next as his/ her body cannot control its temperature. As blood flow slows, the arms and legs will feel cool and may look bluish. The underside of the body may darken as blood settles downward. Have blankets available and put them on or take them off as needed.
What can I do when my loved one loses control of bladder and bowel?
A: Loss of bladder and bowel control is common in serious illness. As muscles grow weaker and all body control grows less, this is normal. Keep waterproof padding and / or briefs under your loved one and change as often as needed to keep him/her comfortable.
What can I do about my loved one having less need to urinate?
A: Nothing, this is normal, unless your loved one feels that he/she needs to urinate but is unable. Ask your primary care nurse for advice.
Does the use of narcotic cause addiction?
A: Fear of addiction is very common among people who must take narcotics for pain relief. Many people use the term "addiction" without understanding exactly what it means: the compulsive use of habit-forming drugs to satisfy physical, emotional, and psychological needs rather than for medical reasons. As long as narcotics are used under proper medical supervision, the chance of addiction is small. Most patients who take narcotics for pain relief can stop taking these drugs if their pain can be controlled by other means. If narcotics are the only effective way to relieve pain, the patient’s comfort is more important than misconceptions regarding addiction.
What is drug tolerance?
A: Persons who take narcotics for symptom management sometimes find they have to take gradually larger doses over a period of time to relieve their pain. This may be due to an increase in the pain or to the development of drug tolerance. When narcotics are taken regularly, the body doesn’t respond to them as well as it once did, and these drugs become less effective. Larger or more frequent doses must be taken to obtain the effect that was achieved with the original dose. Increasing the doses of narcotics to relieve increasing pain or to overcome drug tolerance is not addiction, although it may lead to physical dependence on the drugs.
How are medicines best used to relieve symptoms?
A: A preventive approach, staying "on top" of the pain, is best way to control pain and may actually require lower doses of pain reliever. When pain is present to some degree throughout the day, medicine should be taken on a scheduled basis to prevent the pain from getting worse. Taking a mild pain reliever three to four times a day on a regular schedule, rather than waiting for the pain to return, may be enough to control pain.
What are some non-medical ways to treat symptoms?
A: Some ways to relieve symptoms without using medicine include relaxation, imagery, and distraction.Relaxation has been found to relieve pain or keep it from getting worse by reducing the tension in the muscles. It can promote sleep, give more energy, combat fatigue, reduce anxiety, and make other pain relief methods work better.Imagery is using imagination to create mental pictures or situations. When used to relieve pain, imagery can be thought of as a deliberate daydream or self-hypnosis.Distraction means turning one’s attention to something other than the pain. Many people use this method without knowing it when they watch television or listen to the radio to "take their mind off" the pain. Any activity that occupies attention can be used for distraction.
Are there any other symptom relief methods?
A: Other medicines: Other types of drugs can be taken with analgesics to help control pain, though not all patients will benefit from them. Anti-depressants, tranquilizers, cortisone, and alcohol are some of the drugs that might be useful.
How long do I or my loved one have to live?
A: Although there is no way of knowing how long a person will live, when a doctor recommends hospice usually the patient’s prognosis is 6 months or less.
Will they stop all the medicines when I am admitted?
A: We will continue all medicines that give comfort.
|