What is End of Life care?

Time4... will soothe and comfort those as they near death to ensure a quality of life while respecting the dying person's wishes. End-of-life care is the term used to describe the non-medical support given during the time surrounding death, be that months, weeks, days or hours.

 

Such care does not happen only in the moments before breathing ceases and the heart stops beating and there is never a time set for this part of a persons final journey.

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A peaceful death might mean something different to you than to someone else. A sister might want to know when death is near so she can have a few last words with the people she loves and take care of personal matters. A husband might want to die quickly and not linger (this doesn't mean EOL intervention) and choose sedation medication. Perhaps a mother has said she would like to be at home when she dies, while a father wants to be in a hospital where he can receive all treatment for his illness until the very end.

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Some people want to be surrounded by family and friends; others want to be alone. Of course, often one doesn't get to choose. But, avoiding suffering, having end-of-life wishes followed, and being treated with respect while dying are common hopes of many.

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Time4... will provide support in four areas—physical comfort, mental and emotional needs, spiritual requirements, and practical tasks.  Families and care-givers can be exhausted during this life stage and we know they need support so our services offer support in so many areas to ensure no one is left behind.

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An End of Life Doula is responsible for creating a ‘safe place’ in which the person feels free to share without self-censorship. The Doula asks powerful questions: questions that are born out of deep listening and empathy. These questions invite the person to look within to find the answers that are already there yet, have gone unacknowledged. 

 

The Doula affirms the normalcy of the process of dying and the process of grieving. This particular form of being with another offers a person someone to walk alongside them without offering advice, fixing them, or assuming to know what is right for them. The Doula approach honors the person’s wisdom and explores ways for them to live from it. Transformation occurs when the person is seen and heard in this deep intimate way rather than a patient.

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Examples

• Facilitating end of life planning

• Initiating family discussions

• Education and information sharing

• Companionship whilst a care-giver rests or completes other tasks

• Household duties/errands

• Appointments management

• Respite care management

• Keeping vigil

• Grief and bereavement support

• Holistic Therapies

  • Guided meditation​

  • Gentle massage with or without essential oils

• After death body care

 

Time4... doesn't replace the amazing work of a Funeral Director.  We will help to wash and dress a body, conduct spirit release ceremonies, perhaps guide the building or decoration of a coffin, prepare a room for after death vigil and ensure if a body is at home, that it is preserved with respectful body management.  Our role is to ensure the bereaved have the space to grieve and be with their loved one at an incredibly intimate time rather than distracted by the administration.​

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