How to Hold a Successful (End of Life) Stage Care Family Meeting

Posted by Adam Dave on October 7th, 2022

When an elderly member of the family becomes terminally ill, it is a difficult and agonizing time for the entire family. Young grandchildren can find it especially hard to see a beloved grandparent sick and in need of constant care, and adult children are faced with the difficult task of pushing their emotions to the side to figure out a practical and effective way to provide quality hospice care at home.

During such a time, it is important that the family comes together to hold a late-stage care meeting. This will allow all members of the family to plan ahead and discuss how they will each pitch in to provide at-home hospice care for their elderly loved ones.

Here is a comprehensive guide to help you hold a successful late-stage care family meeting.

1. Articulate your feelings

Acknowledging your feelings is the first step toward resolving them. Most families have a complicated history, and many family members have tense relationships with one another. Before deciding on a late-stage care treatment plan, the whole family should come together and articulate their feelings in front of one another.

If the elderly parent in question had a favorite child or a difficult relationship with certain family members, it is natural that they might feel aggrieved or feel like there are unresolved issues that need to be sorted out first. Allow everyone to voice their feelings so that you can move on and heal as a family before each person volunteers to play a role in managing their parent's late-stage at-home hospice care.

2. Work with a medical team

Working with qualified health professionals is crucial during this stage. Your loved one's doctor and healthcare provider will be able to advise you on how to move forward and how best to provide quality hospice and palliative care at home.

Work with a medical team to determine how you should proceed and take care of your loved one at home. Find out if there are certain medical devices or special medications that you will need to purchase. At the same time, discuss with other family members how the costs of providing hospice and palliative care will be shouldered. How much is each family member willing and able to pitch in?

Talk to the doctor and medical team in detail. Find out if your loved one will require around-the-clock monitoring and assistance. Figure out a system to ensure someone is always present with the patient at home while others have to be outside for work or errands.

3. Involve the patient in the process

Unless the patient is completely unresponsive or unable to follow a conversation, make sure you involve them in your discussions when devising your at-home hospice and palliative care plan. At the same time, don't make them feel like they are a burden or create a gloomy or depressing atmosphere at home. There is no reason why your loved one should not thoroughly enjoy whatever time they have left with their family. If they are still alert and responsive, they can even spend quality time playing card games and board games with their grandkids, watching their favorite films, listening to music they like, and enjoying their favorite foods (if their diet plan allows them to do so).

Involving the patient in your family's late-stage palliative care meetings can reduce misunderstandings, help them adjust to and ease into transitions and lifestyle changes, and help patients and the entire family navigate difficult decisions.

After assessing your parent's needs, the next step is to carry out a thorough assessment of your own willingness and ability to provide them with excellent at-home hospice care.

Find quality hospice and palliative care for a loved one

Do you look after an elderly parent or relative at home? You can provide quality hospice and palliative care through Hospice Home Health, an organization that provides access to at-home hospice care and quality end-of-life care.

The organization advocates on behalf of home health and hospice care in California and is leading the movement to provide high-quality hospice and palliative care services to patients and their caregivers.

View their hospice and palliative care services on their website. For support and consultation regarding patient care, contact Hospice Home Care today.

About the author

Stacey K. is a palliative care nurse based in California. She occasionally contributes guest blogs on at-home hospice care, caring for dementia patients, and looking after aging parents to our website.