58 2.7.1 Supporting Family & LTC Staff

Considerations for Supporting Family & LTC Staff:

• Preparation and communication for end of life
• Engaging and supporting staff and leadership in the education and delivery of palliative care
• Ensure resources are in place to support the resident at end-of-life
  • Supplemental Oxygen
  • End of life medication available in STAT box
  • Partnership with community stakeholders to ensure resources are available if needed
  • Air mattress
  • Adequate staffing levels to ensure staff are able to meet care needs
  • Supports for spiritual and psychosocial needs^[1][2]

Philosophy of palliative care is rooted in maximizing a person’s:

• Quality of life by effective symptoms control
• Psychological and spiritual support, in a socially meaningful way,
• While truly allowing someone to be themselves at a difficult time

Palliative care is an approach that aims to reduce suffering and improve the quality of life for people who are living with life-limiting illness through the provision of:

• Pain and symptom management;
• Psychological, social, emotional, spiritual, and practical support; and
• Support for caregivers during the illness and after the death of the person they are caring for^{[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]}