Compassionate end-of-life care
Providing residents and the people closest to them with compassionate, individual support at the end-of-life.
Supporting you and your loved one through end-of-life care
When a resident needs palliative or end-of-life care, we work with them, their family and the healthcare professionals involved to understand their changing needs and wishes.
This may include working alongside GPs, community and district nurses, hospices and specialist palliative care teams. The professionals involved will depend on the resident’s needs and the type of care provided by their home.
Our Final Lap end-of-life care training helps colleagues recognise changing needs, have sensitive conversations and provide compassionate support. We aim to create an environment where death and dying can be discussed openly, honestly and with care.
Respectful conversations
Open and sensitive conversations help us understand what matters to each resident and how they would like to be supported.
This may include:
- How and where they would prefer to be cared for
- Who they would like to be involved in decisions
- The people they want around them
- Music, memories or familiar objects that bring comfort
- Cultural, religious or spiritual wishes
- Plans they would like to make for the future.
Residents choose whether they would like family members or friends to be involved. Decisions about medical treatment are discussed with the relevant healthcare professionals and recorded appropriately.
With the resident’s agreement, we keep families informed and involved as their needs change. We also aim to provide the time, privacy and emotional support families need to be close to their loved one.
Chaplaincy & spiritual support
Every resident, whether they have a faith or not, can choose to spend time with their home’s chaplain.
Our chaplains take time to get to know residents and understand their beliefs, values and sources of comfort. They offer a listening presence and emotional or spiritual support shaped around the individual.
Where requested, chaplains may also help residents and families connect with leaders from other faith communities. They may be able to support a resident’s funeral or memorial service, helping families create something personal and meaningful.