It’s not uncommon at all for someone near the end of their life to feel anxious, seemingly for no reason at times. Dealing with that anxiety is something that end-of-life care providers can help your senior to do through a variety of techniques. Giving some of these ideas a try can help as well.
Find Ways to Calm Your Own Anxiety
When you’re feeling upset or anxious, that can translate to your senior even if you think you’re hiding what you’re feeling. Helping your senior to reduce her anxiety can be as simple as remembering to take a few deep breaths yourself. You may not be able to completely reduce your own anxiety, but even making the attempt can have benefits for your elderly family member.
Use Tools that Help Your Senior to Feel Safe and Secure
One big way to help your senior to feel less anxious is to use whatever you have at hand to promote calm for her. If that means using night lights or lights set to low all night, that can be a huge help. Playing soft music or movies that your elderly family member enjoys can help her to remember good times with family members and friends, too. Using lightly weighted blankets could be another solution that helps her to feel secure and safe.
Gently Remind Your Senior What’s Happening and Where She Is
It can be easy for your senior to forget what’s happening or to feel surprised and anxious about what might happen next, especially if she’s being visited by a variety of different healthcare providers. Using gentle reminders along with comforting touch can be really helpful for her in grounding her in the moment. Keeping a list of who she’s going to see nearby can also help.
Try to Avoid Asking a Lot of Questions
Sometimes answering a lot of questions can feel overwhelming, especially if your senior is already feeling anxious. Offering choices is still important, as is determining what she needs. If you can do that without asking her a lot of questions all at once, that can be helpful. Sticking with a routine that works for her also helps.
Keep the Environment Calm for Her
Lowered lights, soft music, and comfortable temperatures are all great ways to help keep your senior’s environment calm and soothing for her. This can do a lot to relieve anxiety because the atmosphere around her can help your senior to have something else to focus on rather than how she’s feeling. If comforting smells, fresh air, or some other change might help the environment stay calm and welcoming for your senior, give it a try.
End-of-life care can do a lot to relieve your senior’s anxiety because she knows that there are people there with her no matter what she needs. Coordinating the services that she may need can be time and energy consuming, leaving her feeling as if it’s all too complicated at times. Knowing that there’s support there for her and for you can be incredibly helpful in reducing anxiety levels all the way around.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering End of Life Care in Plano, TX please contact the caring staff at Arcy Healthcare today. 469-293-1515
My name is Jimmie Stapleton. I am the founder and CEO of Arcy Healthcare. Arcy Healthcare includes Arcy Hospice, Arcy Supportive Care, MaximaCare Home Health and Arcy at Home.
Arcy Hospice was opened in 2007 to provide care and support for individuals and families facing a life limiting illness. It was established after my wife Ellen, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, had completed her chemo and radiation therapies. At that time, things were looking positive, and we wanted to do something for our community that had been so supportive of our family during her treatments. Unfortunately, the cancer returned a few years later, and she subsequently passed away under our care in 2010.
In the years that followed, I began to see the need to provide the same level of excellent care to patients across the continuum of care. Therefore, we have added a home health division (MaximaCare Home Health), a palliative care division (Arcy Supportive Care), and a home care division, (Arcy at Home). With the addition of these divisions, we can meet most of the post-acute care needs for you and your family in your home.
I started Arcy Hospice with my wife as my motivation to provide exceptional care and support in the patient’s home, where they are surrounded by family and where they feel most comfortable. I’m proud to say that our staff provides some of the best in home care in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
Please let us know if we can enrich the quality of life for you or a loved one.
Sincerely,
Jimmie Stapleton – Founder and CEO
Arcy Healthcare
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