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  • What is end of life care?

    Are you seeking information and further guidance on how to make decisions together about end of life care? Or perhaps you have recently lost a loved one and need help with immediate practical, legal, and financial issues as well as coping with grief. Whatever the situation, time will be precious to you. There is already a wealth of information for carers about end of life care, both on the internet and in leaflet form; however, it is sometimes difficult and time-consuming to find and work through. You and the person you care for will come across a lot of confusing terms and language when first receiving a diagnosis. In particular, there is a lot of confusion about what is palliative care and what is end of life care. A life-limiting illness is an illness for which there is no cure, for example, motor neurone disease, dementia, or advanced cancer. Sometimes this is referred…

  • Providing care to someone with challenging behaviour

    You may find the person you care for is challenging in their behaviour . ‘Challenging’ is often defined as when a person is putting themselves or those around them at risk, including yourself as their carer, or where their behaviour is going to lead to a poorer quality of life. It can also impact their ability to join everyday activities. It can include aggression, self harm, destructive behaviour, and disruptiveness. It is often seen in people who have a learning disability or a mental health problem such as dementia and it can affect the person’s ability to communicate . Things… should not ignore them completely. Look out for the warning signs. This way you may be able to prevent behavioural outbursts. For example, the person you care for may feel anxious or agitated if in large groups, so you could arrange for them to be in small groups or have one to one support. See…

  • Talking to health and social care professionals

    You and/or the person you care for may find it easier to ask a professional to be involved in discussions about death. Or it might be simply having the professional there that will give everyone more confidence to talk about death. Who that professional is will often depend on the person you care for and who they have the most contact with, for example, their GP, a social care worker, or a palliative care nurse. Many ‘end of life’ conversations take place in hospital, yet there are massive variations on the part of medical staff as to how and when conversations about dying take place…. If the person you care for refuses to give consent to share certain information about their diagnosis and prognosis it does not prevent you from talking to those professionals involved in their care about their general care needs and the impact on your own wellbeing. Things to think about Ask…

  • Advance Care Plans

    Advance Care Plans are usually made by someone with their healthcare team when they are approaching end of life, although they can be started at any stage in life. The plan is used to record the person’s treatment and care wishes and can be reviewed and updated. If the person you care for has made an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment, Advance Statement, or Lasting Power of Attorney, a note of these must be made in the advance care plan. An Advance Care Plan is not a legally binding document; however, there has to be a good reason for health and care staff to ignore the person’s wishes. There could be circumstances where it is not safe to follow an aspect or aspects of the care plan and this should be fully explained to you. There are a variety of national and local forms and templates that can be used to record different forms of advanced care planning in Surrey…