What does end-of-life care look like and when is it appropriate?

I'm sorry you and your loved one find yourself in this place. I was there in December 2010 with my dad. We would've preferred he stay at home with hospice but his seizures became really bad. He went into a hospice house which had visited before he became really ill. He had a Glioblastoma stage 4.

They did everything they could to keep him home with 24/7 care and free meds but his seizures were not something we could deal with as non medical professionals around the clock. Plus, he was our dad. It was exhausting!!! We tag teamed, my bro and I, two hours of sleep off and on for two weeks but we were not equipped to deal with the medical issues, plus my handicapped mother.

Hospice was a blessing for us. His time was very short and we could visit and tell him important things and hold his hand and just BE with him without the stuff that you wish trained nursing professionals would do. They did it all and we got to honor dad, hold him close and not worry about when the next seizure would come.

I wish you the best in your family's road.



It's some place you never want to be, obviously, but I was thankful for their service to my dad.

End-of-life care is different for everyone and depends upon many things. The physical health of the person, is there dementia and how advanced is it, how many medications is the person taking and what are they for, is the person mobile, is there still quality of life. It's a very subjective thing based on personal experience.

My dad was in a nursing home with liver disease which was causing some mild dementia. Since his liver wasn't functioning properly my dad required a procedure every week at the hospital (outpatient) to keep the fluids off his lungs. As time went on these weekly trips to the hospital became very difficult for my dad as it was an all-day event. And the more fluid they pulled off my dad the more he needed the procedure. It was a never ending cycle and my brother and I discussed it, discussed it with my dad, and we decided to stop the procedures and enlist the help of hospice.

I think it just depends upon your situation and the person your caring for.