{"id":18827,"date":"2021-06-08T11:35:08","date_gmt":"2021-06-08T10:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opa.org.uk\/?page_id=18827"},"modified":"2021-06-08T11:35:08","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T10:35:08","slug":"end-of-life-care-plan-where-to-start","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/opa-old.voidappsdev.uk\/?page_id=18827","title":{"rendered":"End of Life Care Plan: Where to Start?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>End of Life Care Plan: Where to Start?<\/h1>\n<p>Discussing death with a loved one is challenging to say the least. By the same token, being the health or social care professional responsible for discussing an end of life care plan with a dying or critically ill patient and their family members is a huge professional challenge.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019ll be tough \u2013 on everyone involved \u2013 but getting end of life care planned and completed well will be very rewarding. Working with someone in their final months or days requires you to be knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate. To help you understand what\u2019s expected, we\u2019re going to look at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Differences between palliative care and end of life care<\/li>\n<li>What end of life care looks like<\/li>\n<li>Principles to be aware of as a professional<\/li>\n<li>What to expect as a patient dies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What\u2019s the difference between palliative and end of life care?<\/h2>\n<p>Sometimes it may feel like these two concepts can be interchangeable. Actually, they are different types of care that require different skills and knowledge.<\/p>\n<h3>Palliative care<\/h3>\n<p>Palliative care is about giving the best quality of life to someone who is likely to die sooner than expected. It offers social support and tries to offer a form of normality and daily functions. In contrast, working with someone at the end of their life is about making them comfortable as they die.<\/p>\n<p>Palliative care offers support, care, and treatment to people with a life-limiting illness. You might be familiar with terms such as \u201clife-threatening\u201d, \u201cterminal\u201d, or \u201cadvanced\u201d illnesses in the same context. Examples of the types of conditions that can be life-limiting are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cancer<\/li>\n<li>Chronic liver disease<\/li>\n<li>Motor neurone disease<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Palliative care will take care<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/end-of-life-care\/what-it-involves-and-when-it-starts\/\">\u00a0not just of the physical needs<\/a>\u00a0of a person, but their emotional, social, and even spiritual requirements, focussing on quality of life. Pain management may be one of the first things you\u2019d think about, but social needs like washing and dressing and offering support to family and friends of your patient is also important.<\/p>\n<h3>End of life care<\/h3>\n<p>End of life care is a part of palliative care. It aims to allow a person to be comfortable at the end of their life. We don\u2019t always know when someone might die, meaning the end of life care can be in place for weeks or even months. It\u2019s generally offered to someone a doctor believes is in the last year of their life.<\/p>\n<p>End of life care, at home or in a professional setting, focusses on managing physical and emotional needs. Ensuring your patient is treated with dignity and respect is paramount.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s an End of Life Care Pathway?<\/h2>\n<p>The plan that encompasses the work to be completed by various professionals towards the end of a patient\u2019s life is known as an<a href=\"http:\/\/healthcare.trinityhospice.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/D5a-NEoLCP-1-End-of-Life-Care-Pathway-resources-6-step-model.pdf\">\u00a0End of Life Care Pathway<\/a>. It\u2019s the steps that need to be taken to make sure your patient is comfortable in their mind and body.<\/p>\n<p>There are six steps in designing and carrying out an End of Life Care Pathway. You may be involved in completing one, so here\u2019s an overview of what you\u2019ll need to do:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 1<br \/>\n<\/strong>Discussion \u2013 Start the conversation about dealing with someone\u2019s death. You\u2019ll have recognised the patient is nearing death and you need to talk to them, their family and their friends so that everyone knows what to expect and who\u2019ll be making decisions.<br \/>\n<strong>Step 2<\/strong><br \/>\nAssessment, plan, and review \u2013 Understand the wishes and the medical needs of the patient. Take into consideration any cultural or religious needs, whether they want at-home care, and anything else that\u2019s personally important.<br \/>\n<strong>Step 3<\/strong><br \/>\nCo-ordination of care \u2013 Every patient will have different needs. Plan to have the right professionals in place, such as nurses, care assistants, or doctors, ready to step into a role when needed.<br \/>\n<strong>Step 4<\/strong><br \/>\nDelivery \u2013 This is when the plan is acted upon. Care needs to be provided wherever is safest and as close to the wishes of the patient as possible, always ensuring consent.<br \/>\n<strong>Step 5<\/strong><br \/>\nFinal days \u2013 Know what death looks like so you can anticipate it. By knowing what to expect you can make a person\u2019s last days comfortable rather than stressful.<br \/>\n<strong>Step 6<\/strong><br \/>\nCare after death \u2013 Once dead, facilitating wishes about funerals and supporting the patient\u2019s loved ones in decisions is equally important.<\/p>\n<h2>What are the principles of end of life care?<\/h2>\n<p>Working on an end of life care plan means you need to be aware of some core ideas. These are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Individuality \u2013 care is not one-size-fits-all<\/li>\n<li>Culture \u2013 cultural, religious, and ethnic demands of a patient<\/li>\n<li>Location \u2013 end of life care at home should always be an option<\/li>\n<li>Care \u2013 contact must be sensitive and empathetic<\/li>\n<li>Consent \u2013 gain consent of the patient, and if not, the people they have appointed<\/li>\n<li>Communication \u2013 professionals, patients, and key people need channels to talk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What are the signs of\u00a0someone dying?<\/h2>\n<p>Identifying a dying person comes with time and experience. Being able to recognise the end of life signs will help you prepare the patient and their important people about what\u2019s coming. With time, you will become more intuitive to your patients\u2019 struggle, knowing the signs like the back of your hand, however, having specific giveaways to look out for can be really helpful to begin with.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a guide to the<a href=\"https:\/\/crhcf.org\/insights\/five-physical-signs-that-death-is-nearing\/\">\u00a0five end of life signs<\/a>\u00a0and what you can do to alleviate the discomfort:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-image-lightbox-viewer-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skillsplatform.org\/images\/content\/1200\/566_filename_20200821124630581.png\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Compassion always wins<\/h2>\n<p>Caring for someone at the end of life is taxing on everyone involved. No two deaths will ever be the same, but you can still be prepared to know how to offer the best support possible.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article is from Skills Platform &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skillsplatform.org\/blog\/end-of-life-care-plan-where-to-start\/\">https:\/\/www.skillsplatform.org\/blog\/end-of-life-care-plan-where-to-start\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>End of Life Care Plan: Where to Start? Discussing death with a loved one is challenging to say the least. By the same token, being the health or social care professional responsible for discussing an end of life care plan with a dying or critically ill patient and their family members is a huge professional challenge. It\u2019ll be tough \u2013 on everyone involved \u2013 but getting end of life care planned and completed well will be very rewarding. Working with someone in their final months or days requires you to be knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate. To help you understand what\u2019s expected, we\u2019re going to look at: Differences between palliative care and end of life care What end of life care looks like Principles to be aware of as a professional What to expect as a patient dies What\u2019s the difference between palliative and end of life care? Sometimes it may feel like these two concepts can be interchangeable. Actually, they are different types of care that require different skills and knowledge. Palliative care Palliative care is about giving the best quality of life to someone who is likely to die sooner than expected. It offers social support and tries to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":18301,"menu_order":37,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18827","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>End of Life Care Plan: Where to Start? - The OPA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"End of Life Care Plan: Where to Start? - The OPA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"End of Life Care Plan: Where to Start? Discussing death with a loved one is challenging to say the least. By the same token, being the health or social care professional responsible for discussing an end of life care plan with a dying or critically ill patient and their family members is a huge professional challenge. It\u2019ll be tough \u2013 on everyone involved \u2013 but getting end of life care planned and completed well will be very rewarding. Working with someone in their final months or days requires you to be knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate. To help you understand what\u2019s expected, we\u2019re going to look at: Differences between palliative care and end of life care What end of life care looks like Principles to be aware of as a professional What to expect as a patient dies What\u2019s the difference between palliative and end of life care? Sometimes it may feel like these two concepts can be interchangeable. Actually, they are different types of care that require different skills and knowledge. Palliative care Palliative care is about giving the best quality of life to someone who is likely to die sooner than expected. 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Discussing death with a loved one is challenging to say the least. By the same token, being the health or social care professional responsible for discussing an end of life care plan with a dying or critically ill patient and their family members is a huge professional challenge. It\u2019ll be tough \u2013 on everyone involved \u2013 but getting end of life care planned and completed well will be very rewarding. Working with someone in their final months or days requires you to be knowledgeable, skilled, and compassionate. To help you understand what\u2019s expected, we\u2019re going to look at: Differences between palliative care and end of life care What end of life care looks like Principles to be aware of as a professional What to expect as a patient dies What\u2019s the difference between palliative and end of life care? Sometimes it may feel like these two concepts can be interchangeable. Actually, they are different types of care that require different skills and knowledge. 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