At Suncrest Home Health and Hospice of Fremont, it’s our job to help patients through their final stage of life. Our work can be sad and challenging, but we are personally gratified by our ability to make patients’ transitions smoother and more dignified. Patients’ loved ones often are anxious as the impending death gets closer. They fear leaving the bedside, even for a moment. Our hospice nurses work with family and friends of hospice patients to help them identify some of the signs of death so they know what to expect.
What Hospice Care Is Really Like
Those unfamiliar with hospice care often think of it as grimmer than it is. It’s true that you must have a terminal diagnosis and a life expectancy of less than six months to enter hospice care, but that doesn’t mean all patients are confined to their beds or unresponsive. Many are awake, alert and even ambulatory.
But because they have stopped lifesaving medications and therapies, their condition often worsens quickly — loved ones may sometimes be surprised by how quickly. Because they are not well-versed in the process, loved ones may feel anxiety about the timing of the death.
Signs of Impeding Death in Hospice
Our hospice nurses work with friends and families of loved ones to teach them about the signs of impending death. These include:
- Falling body temperature
- More time spent sleeping
- Change in breathing patterns
- Onset of or worsening mental confusion
- Loss of appetite/refusal of food and water
- Loss of control over bladder and bowels
Patients May Sleep Longer
Sleep is meant to restore our bodies when they are tired or weak. But for terminal patients, sleep does not provide this benefit. Their bodies are strained by the progression of their disease. They may struggle to eat or even drink. This contributes to their growing weakness and declining health.
Loved ones may have been used to chatting and visiting with the patient, only to find them asleep much more often than they used to be when they arrive.
Advice for Hospice Visitors
Our hospice nurses remind loved ones of patients that even when we can identify one or more of these signs, on occasion, patients will briefly improve. They may awaken, sit up and eat a full meal. This can be confusing for loved ones, who felt certain death was near. But these patients can just as quickly take a turn for the worse in a day or two. Terminal illness is fraught with ups and downs.
Our staff is always vigilant, and we use our many years of experience to help friends and family of hospice patients determine when death is likely nearing. Knowledge is power, and it brings peace.
For more information about hospice care in the Fremont, California, area, talk to the compassionate team at Suncrest Home Health and Hospice.
