My Mom age 87 is bedridden with cancer and has been declining steadily. She has wanted to stay in her home to die and we are honoring that wish to best of our ability. My siblings and I take turns staying with her overnight and hospice staff come during the day along with home health aides.
She has not been sleeping and wakes us repeatedly by calling out and asking us to bring her ice, pudding, to move her, to remove a blanket, etc,. She is agitated and sometimes talking to someone who is not in the room. She is uncooperative about taking meds and puts up a fight.
We started giving her .4 ml of Lorazepam to calm her but that is not working either. Can anyone shed some light on this subject?
"Haloperidol is the most effective medication for treating agitation. This drug is less sedating than lorazepam; also, lorazepam has proven ineffective in treating delirium. When the patient reaches EOL, benzodiazepines and sedating neuroleptics are considered equally effective in controlling agitation."
https://www.americannursetoday.com/managing-end-of-life-symptoms/