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CreatedOn: 22 Mar, 2024
LastUpdatedOn: 16 May, 2024

Caregivers Training

About caregiver training 

Caregiver training for palliative patients is an essential program designed to equip caregivers with the necessary skills, knowledge, and emotional resilience to provide high-quality, compassionate care. This training focuses on improving the quality of life for patients facing serious illnesses by addressing their physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs. Given the complex and demanding nature of palliative care, effective caregiver training is vital to ensure that caregivers can manage symptoms, provide comfort, and support both patients and their families through challenging times.

 

Importance of caregiver training 
  • Enhancing Care Quality: Proper training ensures that caregivers can deliver care that alleviates pain and other distressing symptoms, thus enhancing the patient's overall quality of life.
  • Supporting Emotional Well-being: Caregivers learn how to offer emotional and psychological support, which is crucial for both patients and their families.
  • Building Confidence and Competence: Training programs build caregivers' confidence in their abilities, reducing anxiety and improving their competence in managing various caregiving tasks.
  • Promoting Patient Dignity and Autonomy: Caregivers are taught to respect and uphold the dignity and autonomy of patients, ensuring that their wishes and preferences are honored.
  • Preventing Caregiver Burnout: Education on self-care practices and stress management helps caregivers maintain their own health and well-being, preventing burnout and ensuring sustainable caregiving.

 

By providing caregivers with comprehensive training, we can ensure that palliative patients receive compassionate, effective, and respectful care, ultimately improving their end-of-life experience and providing crucial support to their families.

 

 

Assessment

Assessment

Accessing palliative caregiver training involves identifying appropriate resources and programs designed to equip caregivers with the skills and knowledge needed to provide high-quality palliative care.

Access to palliative caregiver training

All palliative care patients in Palliative care unit have access to Caregiver training 

Management

 

Specific management 

 

Pain 

As a caregiver you need to respond quickly to manage pain & reports it to the palliative team in the following situations:

  • There is an increase in pain, new pain or discomfort
  • There is no relief from pain
  • There are side effects which may include constipation, drowsiness and/or nausea You have questions regarding pain management
  • There is a rapid decline or change in your loved one
Fatigue

Fatigue is a feeling of extreme exhaustion resulting from emotional distress, physical distress or an illness.

Signs of Fatigue include:

  • Increased sleeping
  • Lack of appetite
  • Not participating in usual activities
Restlessness

Unable to rest or focus. As restlessness becomes worse it can turn into agitation

Signs of Restlessness:

  • Muscle twitching
  • Sleeplessness
  • Pulling on sheets or clothing
  • Trying to get out of bed without a known reason
  • Inability to get comfortable
GI symptoms
  • Nausea and Vomiting

Reasons: starting a new pain medicine, an infection, anxiety or a change in their illness.

Call palliative doctor if nausea or vomiting begins; there is medicine to help. The patient should not stop taking the pain medicine.

 

  • Constipation

Having no bowel movement or small, hard stools

Certain medication i.e. pain medication, cause constipation

 

  • Diarrhea

Loose or watery stools. May be accompanied by pain and stomach cramping. Diarrhea that does not stop can cause dehydration and increased stomach pain

Respiratory Distress

Shortness of Breath

Act of breathing can be a painful

Rapid, shallow breathing is common. There may be pauses between breaths of 10 to 30 seconds or longer.

Changes in breathing patterns are normal.

Neurological problem

Cognitive deterioration

Seizures: look like twitches or tremors in the face and/or extremities.

Identifying Emergencies

Infection: main symptoms fever

Bleeding : Patients may be more likely to bleed because of the effects of their illness or medications

Chocking: due to difficulty swallowing

Request

Requests for Palliative patient caregiver training 
Investigations for palliative care patients aim to provide valuable information to guide symptom management, treatment decisions, and overall care planning while minimizing discomfort and burden on the patient. Common investigations may include:
 
1. Pain assessment: Detailed evaluation of the nature, severity, and impact of pain, often using validated pain assessment tools, to tailor pain management strategies effectively.
2. Symptom assessment: Comprehensive evaluation of other distressing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, dyspnea (shortness of breath), and fatigue to identify underlying causes and guide symptom management interventions.
3. Functional assessment: Assessment of the patient’s functional status, including their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs), mobility, and cognitive function, to inform care planning and support services.
4. Psychosocial assessment: Evaluation of the patient’s psychological, social, and spiritual well-being, including their coping mechanisms, support network, and existential concerns, to provide appropriate psychosocial support and interventions.
5. Nutritional assessment: Assessment of the patient’s nutritional status, including their weight, dietary intake, and nutritional needs, to optimize nutritional support and address malnutrition or cachexia.
6. Medication review: Review of the patient’s current medication regimen to identify potential drug interactions, adverse effects, and opportunities for optimization or deprescribing, particularly in light of symptom management goals.
7. Advance care planning: Discussion with the patient and their family about their values, preferences, and goals of care, including preferences regarding resuscitation, life-sustaining treatments, and end-of-life care, to document and honor their wishes.
8. Diagnostic imaging: Limited and targeted use of imaging studies such as X-rays, ultrasound, and CT scans to assess specific symptoms or complications, such as evaluating for fractures, bowel obstruction, or metastatic disease, with careful consideration of the potential benefits and burdens.
9. Laboratory tests: Selective use of laboratory tests such as blood tests, urine tests, and tumor markers to assess organ function, electrolyte balance, nutritional status, and disease progression, focusing on tests that are likely to inform clinical management decisions and improve patient outcomes.
10. Prognostic discussions: Open and honest discussions with the patient and their family about the expected course of illness, prognosis, and anticipated changes in symptoms and functional status, to facilitate informed decision-making and advance care planning.
 
Overall, investigations for palliative care patients should be tailored to the individual patient’s needs, preferences, and goals, with a focus on optimizing symptom management, maintaining quality of life, and honoring their values and wishes.

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