Help for Home Caregivers
By Abbie Johnson, RN, BSN, Lower Columbia Hospice
If you aren't already, you have a one-in-six chance of becoming an "informal caregiver" within the next two years.
Informal caregivers are people who provide regular care or assistance to a friend or family member with a health problem or disability. November is National Family Caregivers Month, when we take time to officially recognize, praise and give support to the 78 million Americans who dedicate their (often unpaid) time to care for another adult.
What many people don't realize is that most hospice patients are cared for by caregivers in the home. Most of the time, these caregivers are untrained family members who learn to provide care "on the fly." With this in mind, my colleagues at Lower Columbia Hospice and I would like to share with you some key skills and principles to use while caring for your loved one at home:
Oxygen use: Loved ones close to end-of-life may be prescribed oxygen to keep them more comfortable. However, it is important to follow precautions such as avoiding smoking, keeping an oxygen system at least six feet away from any open flame or heat source and NEVER SMOKE or allow others to smoke in the same room as an oxygen system. Also be sure to have a functioning smoke detector and fire extinguisher in the home at all times.
Aspiration precautions: Loved ones close to end-of-life may also develop difficulty swallowing. It is important to position your loved one upright when giving them food or water or pills. Coughing, watery eyes or gurgling are signs of aspiration that you may want to report to a hospice nurse. Hospice nurses can show you other ways to lower risk of aspiration as well.
Repositioning: Loved ones close to end-of-life often become unable to make even small position changes independently. When someone becomes bedbound, repositioning is crucial. Repositioning your loved one from side to side with pillows periodically is important in combatting skin breakdown.
Patience: Loved ones may become increasingly confused, disoriented, or erratic as a disease process runs its course. Although it's difficult, caregivers should try to practice patience with their loved ones and understand that the disease, not the person is the reason for these changes.
Above all, give yourself some grace. You are doing extraordinarily difficult and important work, usually without any formal training.
Abbie Johnson holds a bachelor of science in nursing and is a nurse at Lower Columbia Hospice, a CMH outreach program. Listen to an interview on this subject with hospice nurse Abbie Johnson.