Palliation and terminal nursing care

As early as the 19th century, nurse Florence Nightingale emphasized the importance of aesthetically pleasing surroundings and she understood and described the significance of various aspects of the patient’s surroundings such as colors, light and fresh air. In addition, the social dimension of care in the form of being close to the nurse.

At Private Nurse, we are aware of how space affects human senses and well-being and how we, through stimulation of these senses, best create a foundation and a prerequisite for our clients to achieve the feeling of well-being and balance. The size of the home makes no difference, all rooms can be made safe, calm and comfortable to be in.

People who are at the end of life depend on the nurse to create this aesthetic and comfortable atmosphere. And that is why we at Private nurse work on the basis of our nursing professional evaluation with the aim of creating a space that helps the terminal person to put emotions such as chaos, unrest, powerlessness and suffering behind them. We believe that this is one of the paths that must be taken for a terminal human being to move calmly and quietly towards the last breath of life.

At Private Nurse, we consider it our duty to ensure that our client is never alone on his journey towards the end of life. And we consider it one of our finest and most beautiful tasks, to shape and set the stage for this journey to be as good and safe as possible. We do this by incorporating the spiritual and aesthetic dimension of our nursing care with attention to the senses of the terminal person.

Palliation is a term often used when talking about terminally ill people. The word palliation is the health industry word for relief for the people affected by a life-threatening illness. When you are told that no more treatment can be given, or you are terminally ill, many ask themselves: What is next?

Although it is not possible to get treatment for your underlying disease, one can get treatment that controls and alleviates the symptoms. This is what is called palliative care. The symptoms you relieve can be of a physical nature (e.g. nausea, fatigue, pain), mental nature (e.g. anxiety, depression), social character (housing, childcare, pension) and of a spiritual/existential nature (e.g. guilt, doubt, anxiety). In principle, today, where we have become so competent at palliating and relieving, one can be in palliative care for several weeks, months or sometimes years.

Having a focus on the palliative care and care as early as possible in a person’s course of illness is very important, as forces can be released so that there is room to focus on what is really important to you and yours. In a difficult life situation, as it is for many where one’s death is imminent, we experience that many clients, despite the situation, manage to get the best out of the time they have left, either alone or with their loved ones.

One of the basic elements in a quiet last time can be that you, as an incurably ill person, draw attention to the needs you have. However, this can be difficult, as an incurably ill person is often very tired and does not have the energy and strength.

Here, Private nurse can help you prolong your thoughts, formulate letters and prepare all the practicalities that need to be in place before you enter your last phase of life.

The energy around you, is all that, which we can not explain with methods and manuals, but which we know you can focus your attention on and be aware of. A well-balanced energy in body and soul helps to create a calm space and atmosphere around you.

Lightening the energies around you can be about everything from your physical surroundings, fragrances, sounds and more. It is also about unresolved issues in your family, which we as a human catalyst can go into by constantly talking to and reassuring your relatives.

The purpose of being with you during your palliative period is to prepare your last time the very best, so that you, as an incurably ill person, can move with peace of mind on your way to the end of life.

When you are seriously ill or dying, and it is no longer relevant to give life-prolonging treatment, you are declared  “Terminal” by a doctor.

It can be difficult to understand when you are terminal if you also receive palliative care. When you, as a human being, have a limited lifespan and are in the terminal phase, your doctor may issue a terminal declaration to you.

The terminal declaration provides access to a number of services, including free medicine and the possibility of care leave for relatives. Private nurse helps you in the time up, during and after, with all these practicalities. One of the first things we take care of is to obtain your terminal declaration. In this, your doctor in charge of treatment writes that there is no longer any evidence to provide life-prolonging treatment, as you are expected to live for a short time. The statement is also a reference that allows us to request the medication you need in your last time. This medicine is expensive, but with a statement it is free. We make sure to pick up the medicine immediately, as well as order the aids that will be needed in this last time. As is often the case, this involves a hospital bed, a pressure-relieving mattress and various articles to be used for medication administration. Up to this time, we have agreed with you which room in your home you would like to be in.

We make sure to decorate your room with the right sound, pleasant light and calm atmosphere based on everything you want around you. Where it suits us best, we set up a small “invisible nursing office” where all our remedies are carefully tucked away but still close by. It is important that your room does not look like a hospital room. Right up to the last minute, we think aesthetics into our care because we believe that this is one of the ways to create calm and rest for our terminal patients.

In the last days of a person’s life, one usually lies in bed all the time. There will always be a permanent nurse with you and your relatives. The nurse has the main overview and responsibility and it is the nurse who observes you intensively, whether you show signs of restlessness, pain or have problems breathing. The nurse gives you medication for this at short intervals, which is why most dying people are in a coma the last time of their lives. To move out of life calmly and at rest.

It is also the nurse who takes care of the more direct care of you: She bathes you in bed, washes your hair, combs it, performs oral hygiene, changes your clothes, linen, smears some lip balm on your lips and massages your hands in pleasant cream. She opens and closes the windows regularly, so you are always in a well-tempered room with fresh and clean air. If you have any special needs, we will often have talked to you about these before you move into your last days.

Our most important caring task is to be with you, and relieve you and your relatives, so that in this way, you have the opportunity for a good and peaceful last time together.