Subject: Letters page - In praise of local end-of-life care
Date: 26 September 2011 08:39:36 GMT+01:00
To: surreyadvertisereditorial@trinitysouth.co.uk
Dear Editor,
My mother recently passed away at home, peacefully, after a short illness, having been diagnosed with lung cancer at Christmas. She was treated at St Luke's Cancer Centre at RSCH with the utmost care and dignity, but there was no cure. Mom decided that she wanted to die at home, with as little intervention as possible.
Our GP made sure that Mom was made known to the District Nurses early on in her diagnosis and we are so grateful for the help and support we received from them. We knew nothing of the help we could get locally, so it was a difficult journey for us, and we would like to highlight the fact to other families that there are so many wonderful people, working together, to provide integrated care for patients who have decided to die at home.In our area, the District Nurses link in with the Community Nursing team and the Beacon Service to provide daily nursing and basic care, and support for families 24 hours a day. We were provided with home oxygen ( for which we received a refund of electricity used to run the equipment), a profile bed so that Mom could be re-positioned easily, and a commode. Carers from the Beacon Service came in every morning to wash and dress Mom so that she could face the day and have visitors. A District or Community Nurse visited at least once a week. The Macmillan nurse from The Beacon visited every week to discuss pain relief and gave us the opportunity to ask lots of questions. Mom's GP provided support and prescriptions at a moment's notice. We were very well served by these caring individuals. They worked together and communicated with each other. A folder remained at Mom's bedside and all her care plans and notes were completed. This meant that even if someone had not seen Mom previously, they knew exactly what she needed. We could not have had better care for Mom anywhere else, either in hospital or hospice.
When Mom passed away on a Saturday evening over the Bank Holiday weekend, a District Nurse and a Community Nurse from two local surgeries were in attendance. Because Mom was an expected death in the community, the District Nurse was able to verify her death, saving us from having to wait for ThamesDoc to come out. This meant that we could spend valuable quiet time with Mom to say our final good-byes before the undertakers came to collect her. The Nurses stayed with us, even though their shift had ended.
We will be forever grateful to those angels. From a very sad story comes a positive experience. Patients and their families should be reassured that you are not alone. There is always help available. Please don't wait until you are in a crisis. Make sure you have discussed your loved one's wishes and then tell your care team. Mom knew exactly how she wanted to die, she had insight and even planned her funeral! We miss her so much, but her passing was made easier for us because we had the time and support to make clear, informed choices.