During the end of life, you will spend a lot of time providing your loved one with physical and emotional support. As you watch your loved one nearing their final days, you may wonder how much of a difference you can make. Just by being present, however, you may make a world of difference. Here are some ways that your companionship can help your loved one during the end of life.
- Keep your loved one busy. By spending time with your loved one, you can help to alleviate boredom. Especially in cases where a loved one’s mental faculties may no longer be what they were, they may benefit from some direction with activities. You can play games, work on arts and crafts together, do some other activity, or just talk.
- Slow the progression of certain conditions. Socializing can support brain health, which may help to slow down the onset or progression of conditions such as dementia.
- Provide emotional support. Just knowing that another person cares can make a huge impact on someone emotionally during a hard time. And few times are as challenging as the end of a person’s life. By being there for your loved one, even just to listen or be present, you may be doing more for their sense of well-being than you realize.
- Offer new perspectives. Your loved one may be working through a lot of challenging emotions right now, including grief, fear and sadness. By sharing your own thoughts and feelings, you might be giving them some valuable perspectives that end up impacting how they process those emotions and their situation.
- Connect your loved one with memories. This is a time during which you and your loved one can reminisce about memories of times you shared together. They can also tell you about memories of times you missed, giving you the opportunity to learn more about their life. In doing so, you help to ensure that their memories live on, even once removed. This is also a chance for them to share more about their beliefs and values, passing on their legacy.
- Fill your loved one’s days with meaningful experiences. Time spent with ones we love is meaningful. Your companionship helps to ensure that your loved one’s final months, weeks and days are filled with experiences that bring them a sense of joy and value, making the best of the time they have left.
Find Out How Golden Rule Hospice Can Help Your Loved One
While your companionship can help your loved one during the end of life, you may not always be available to them. That is why our staff, including counselors and volunteers, works hard to provide emotional support to your loved one throughout their time in hospice. To learn more about how we can help, please give us a call at (470) 395-6567. We offer hospice services throughout Atlanta.
We live by the Golden Rule
Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
