Our Guide to Hospice Care is given to each family at the time of admission and is a great source of information.
To read online or download please CLICK HERE.
Table of Contents |
Page |
|---|---|
Welcome |
1 |
| What You Can Expect | 1 |
| Your Care Team | 2 |
| Complicated Care | 4 |
| After Hours and Emergency Instructions | 5 |
| How Our Volunteers Can Help | 6 |
Your Comfort |
7 |
| Quality of Life Starts with Comfort | 7 |
| Coping with Fatigue | 7 |
| Appetite and Nutrition | 7 |
| Minimizing Nausea and Vomiting | 8 |
| Skin Care | 8 |
| Mouth Care | 9 |
| Shortness of Breath | 9 |
| Talking about Pain | 10 |
| Coping with Pain | 11 |
| Quick Reference to Managing Pain | 15 |
| Just the Pain Facts | 15 |
| Alternative Pain Treatments | 15 |
| How to Measure Medications | 16 |
| Measuring Tips (illustrated) | 17 |
| Measuring Devices | 19 |
| What to Do with Leftover Drugs | 19 |
| Your Emotional Comfort | 21 |
| Exploring the Territory | 22 |
| Dealing with Difficult Feelings | 22 |
| Supporting Children or Grandchildren in the Family |
25 |
| Anticipatory Grief | 26 |
| Your Spiritual Well-Being | 27 |
Planning Ahead 28 |
28 |
| Advance Directives 28 | 28 |
| Durable Power of Attorney | 28 |
| Living Will | 29 |
| Do Not Resuscitate Requests | 30 |
| CPR | 30 |
| Implanted Heart Devices | 31 |
| Have the Discussion | 31 |
Tips for the Caregiver |
32 |
| Caregiving Skills 34 | 34 |
| Skin Care 34 | 34 |
| Mouth Care 34 | 34 |
| Eating 34 | 34 |
| Nausea 37 | 37 |
| Constipation 37 | 37 |
| Diarrhea 37 | 37 |
| Incontinence | 38 |
| Dizziness | 39 |
| Shortness of Breath | 39 |
| If You Decide to Hire Additional Help | 39 |
| Personal Safety | 40 |
| Safe Movement Through the House | 40 |
| Fire and Electrical Safety | 41 |
| Extreme Weather Conditions | 42 |
| Driving and Transportation | 42 |
| Safety in Using Equipment | 42 |
| Oxygen Equipment Safety | 42 |
| Hospital Bed Safety | 43 |
| Wheelchair Safety | 43 |
| Walker or Cane Safety | 43 |
| How to Safely Move and Transfer | 44 |
| Infection Control in the Home | 46 |
| Hand Washing | 46 |
| How to Use Gloves | 46 |
| Handling Soiled Clothing and Bedding | 47 |
| Disposal of Soiled Dressings | 47 |
| Cleaning Large Spills | 47 |
| >General Housekeeping and Hygiene | 48 |
| Disposal of Needles | 48 |
| Bleach Solution | 48 |
| Food Preparation | 48 |
Appendix 50 |
50 |
| Caring for a Urinary Catheter | 50 |
| Things to Know About Oxygen | 51 |
| Oxygen Use and Humidity | 51 |
| Laxative Protocol | 52 |
| Precautions for Low Blood Counts | 52 |
| Bleeding Precautions | 53 |
| Seizure Precautions | 54 |
| Medical Treatment Decisions | 56 |
| Missouri Residents | 57 |
| Kansas Residents | 59 |
| Non-Discrimination and Language Assistance (with translations) |
61 |
About Us |
70 |
| Community Support | 71 |
© Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care, 2016
All rights reserved. No part of this handbook may be reproduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, translated into any language or computer language or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
