End-of-life comfort is an area in which you can make a huge difference for your aging family member. Working with hospice care services helps you to be even more effective toward meeting that goal.

Managing Skin Irritation and Temperature Issues

Your senior’s skin is at risk of several different issues, ranging from bed sores to dryness and irritation. Your elderly family member might also experience trouble regulating her temperature, which can leave her feeling constantly too hot or too cold. Moving your elderly family member and helping her to change position can help, as can having plenty of blankets, fans, and refreshing beverages available.

Helping Her to Breathe Easier

Depending on your senior’s health issues, breathing can be a challenge. Lying flat on her back for hours at a time can be uncomfortable, too. Help your elderly family member to rest on her side and experiment with pillows to prop her into different positions. If she needs oxygen therapy, make sure that she’s using that to help her to get the relief that she needs.

Dealing with Digestive Issues

As your elderly family member nears the end of her life, so much slows down for her. She may no longer experience hunger the same way that she used to, for instance. She likely isn’t eating much, and that can cause digestive problems. Side effects from medications can play a role, too. Keeping an eye on what is going on can help you to offer the right solution.

Assisting with Fatigue

It’s exhausting to deal with end-of-life issues and your aging family member may find that it’s tough to stay awake as much as she would like. Part of helping her to manage that fatigue is making sure that she can rest when she’s feeling the most tired. Helping her to save her energy for activities she truly wants to do can also help her to manage her energy levels.

Managing Pain

Pain management is not an easy situation. Pain makes your elderly family member uncomfortable, but it can also contribute to so many other symptoms that give her trouble. Her mood can suffer, as can her ability to be able to rest when she needs to. Hospice care providers can work with your senior’s doctor to help keep her pain in check.

The goal of hospice care providers is to help you and your senior to ensure that she’s as comfortable as she can possibly be. As these tasks become more difficult to manage, hospice care can give you and your senior even more assistance so that you’re not doing all of this on your own.

If you or an aging parent are considering hospice care in West Chester, PA, please contact the caring staff at Serenity Hospice today. Call (215) 867-5405.