I AM A CARER
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Finding out someone you know is going to die comes as a shock. Their world has suddenly changed. Anxiety, sadness and even anger at the news are all common reactions.
Many people, though, choose to see themselves as living with a disease or condition, rather than dying from it.
The person will be receiving care that aims to help them live as well as possible and to stay in control.
This involves looking after all their needs with physical, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual support. Importantly, it also involves caring for the person’s family and carers.
Caring for a person can be demanding. Carers try hard to keep things normal in an abnormal situation. Roles change. Relationships can come under strain as people adjust to their new lives. Yet, most families and carers talk about how rewarding it can be.
Formal Carers
These are people whose professional expertise is needed in the care of patients on palliative care. They include doctors, nurses, counselors and nutritionists among others. They are the ones who take care of the patients and also offer advice to non professional care givers on what to do at home once the patients are discharged. Many health care workers offering palliative care at the hospitals or nursing homes suffer from stress and other challenges related to care provision and the feeling of not being able to cope with the care demands or expectations from the patients, their relatives or friends.
Palliative care is also provided to the carers since they have to face the distresses that comes with the diagnosis of disease of the patients.
