Importance of the person’s carer/family/loved ones’ role

Resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYvYjDxH6MA

Discuss the importance of the person’s carer/family/loved ones’ role.

Describe how a person is supported to know where and how to access information. Provide an example of how you might help them to access information they needed. 

How do you contribute to creating a supportive environment for this person and their carer/family/loved ones during this painful and difficult period of palliative care?

How do you support this person and their carer/family/loved ones to express their needs and preferences? Provide an example. 

How do you report and follow up on these needs with your supervisor? Provide an example of how it could be actioned and followed up. 

How do you communicate with the person and their carer/family and loved ones in relation to their quality of life, pain and comfort levels? 

How do you report and follow up on these needs with your supervisor? Provide an example.

Provide an example of how you demonstrate empathy and provide emotional support to the person, their carer/family/loved ones?

Discuss any changing needs the person or their carer/family/loved ones might request and how you supported this request.

What spiritual and/or cultural needs or preferences does this person have in relation to their last days, how they should be managed or any rituals that may need to be performed?

How do you encourage open discussion of these needs in a safe space within the scope and limitations of your role?

Provide an example of how you could practice a non-judgemental approach to ensure the person’s lifestyle, social, spiritual and cultural choices and needs are supported and documented in their care plan. 

Outline any social/cultural/spiritual needs and issues you came across that needed to be reported to your supervisor and how you did this. 

How did the services you provided to this person support the person’s choice as to where they receive end-of life care e.g. home, hospice, residential or aged care setting?

Discuss the person’s pain and other symptoms you noticed when care was provided and how was this person supported- and how could you report this.  

Discuss how you could promote comfort and help to support them when they had pain according to their care plan and your limitations as a student.

How effective were the pain and comfort strategies for this person? Provide an example. 

Write down a misconception you have heard (this could be from the person/family/carer/loved one), or one you have heard recently, about the use of pain-relieving medication. How would you report this so it could be clarified?

Provide an example of end-of-life or advance care directives that were used for this person 

What policies and procedures are followed that deal with legal and ethical considerations around end-of-life decisions and upholding them. How do you follow these? 

Outline any end-of-life needs or issues or changing needs you came across and how you could report these so they could be documented in the care plan. 

How do you monitor the impact of the end-of-life needs, issues & decisions on the person’s carer/family/loved ones?  Provide an example. 

How do you report any impacts to the care team and who in the care team did you report them to?