If you are caring for someone who is living with a terminal illness, or approaching the end of their life, it can be a good idea to plan ahead to record your loved one’s views, preferences and priorities about their future care. You can think and talk about their wishes for how they are cared for in the future. These are not easy discussions to have and you may currently have some additional questions or worries concerning Coronavirus (COVID-19).
You may be worried about any higher risks of the person you care for experiencing serious complications from Coronavirus or whether services, like nursing care or social services, will continue to be available. Carers Matter Norfolk can help support you and the person you are caring for to start talking about what is important to you, we can also link you in with those who can support you in the future. You may find the general information on this page useful.
If you would like further help and support please contact our Carers Matter Norfolk Advice Line on 0800 083 1148.
Useful information on End-of-Life Care
Information on end-of-life care on the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/conditions/end-of-life-care
The Helix Centre’s End-of-life Care Toolkits for Carers at Home, which you can find more about here.
Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital’s films, produced for; Patients and carers who benefit from supporting information to understand conversations had with their care team; Patients who have discussed their preferences with their care team and would like supporting information to help them to explain their wishes to their family; Patients and carers who would like to plan ahead but do not know what to consider in their advance care plan; Healthcare professionals who may want to prepare for a conversation with a patient or carer. These films are on: CPR, Planning your care, Managing uncertainty and Making decisions about treatment.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) and End-of-Life Care
Carers may have specific, more detailed questions related to end-of-life care regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19), and we can suggest these sources of information:
The Royal College of General Practitioners’ Resource Hub on COVID-19, which includes information about palliative care and support for carers.
You can also read the Joint statement on advance care planning published by the British Medical Association (BMA), Care Provider Alliance (CPA), Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Royal College of General Practice (RCGP).