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Consultus Palliative Nursing at Home
Consultus Care & Nursing Agency provides men and women in the last stages of life with the opportunity to live their final days in their own homes, surrounded by the people and things they love most, under the continuous care of a qualified and experienced live-in palliative nurse.
Palliative care (or 'end of life care') helps those with advanced, progressive, incurable conditions to live as well as possible until they die. It includes physical care, management of pain and other symptoms and provision of emotional, social and practical support.
It is underlined by principles of compassion, respect for and dignity of the patient and their relatives and is a partnership between patient, family and health and social care professionals.
| "Supportive [home nursing] services help ensure that dying people are protected from pain and other forms of distress or indignity. They can alleviate the anxiety and stress experienced by family and other informal carers, by providing practical help and respite and comfort." Valuing Choice – Dying at Home, Marie Curie Cancer Care |
Even when a death is expected, few loved ones are fully prepared for the range of emotions they will experience in the last few days and in bereavement. Having a friendly face in the home – someone who also happens to be a nursing professional! – can be of very great comfort.
Consultus's palliative care nurses are considerate, discreet, understanding and carefully chosen to meet clients' particular nursing needs and other preferences. They provide a continuous source of expertise for both the client and visiting health professionals. Where time permits, they can also see to any housekeeping duties, including cooking and local errands.
A nurse will usually live in her client's home for a minimum of two days and a maximum of 14 days. Another nurse then replaces her if further care is required. We aim to create a small rota of nurses who know their clients' needs well.
Consultus live-in nurses can be provided at short notice to even the most remote and rural areas of the U.K., providing vital support to patients, their relatives and friends.
Further information about Consultus Live-in Nursing including current rates
The benefits of a 'good death'
The following is gathered evidence from a report by a leading cancer charity:
- Factors that determine a 'good death' include location and environment, presence of others, physical comfort and burden on family (Tong et al, 2003)
- Patients report similar or better pain and symptom control and better physical quality of life when cared for at home or by specialist palliative care teams compared to conventional care (Hearn & Higginson, 1998; Higginson et al, 2003; Smeenk et al, 1998, Mercadante et al 2000).
- Hospital readmission rates can be lowered among patients cared for well at home (Smeenk et al, 1998)
- Reported [family/friend] carer satisfaction tends to be higher with home care or care provided in the community as compared to hospital care (Higginson et al, 2003; Smeenk et al, 1998; Wilkinson, Salisbury, Bosanquet et al, 1999).
- Poor access to palliative care services, such as 24-hour nursing [can lead to] significant adverse effects, such as feelings of regret or guilt on the part of family carers that the patient did not die at home (Thomas, Morris & Gatrell, 2003)
Furthermore, a study by Koop & Strang (2003) highlighted benefits to the friends and family of people allowed to die at home. Bereaved carers spoke of a valuable sense of accomplishment, of having done the best they could and providing what they believed to be the best possible care.
Some felt that contributing to end-of-life care at home had strengthened their relationship with their loved one. Others said that seeing what their family member was experiencing allowed them to feel better (an increased sense of relief and gratitude) when death took place.
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"Older people who die in hospital often endure their final days in dirty and noisy wards, where busy medical and nursing staff can devote little attention to them"
"50% of older people would like to die at home"
BBC News 25 May, 2005 – Read Article
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Unfortunately, a study carried out by the University of Sheffield found that too many older people are denied a dignified death. Instead, "many older adults' experiences in the last year of their lives consist of movement between various settings as their health deteriorates" (Further research).
Over the years, many hundreds of Consultus clients have found that having a privately or state funded Consultus live-in nurse:
- Overcomes any problems created by patchy or under resourced local healthcare
- Provides comfort to the patient
- Offers immediate round-the-clock assistance in case of emergency
- Relieves carers of worry and physical strain
Consultus Nursing can be contacted directly on (01732) 771924 or 770403. For more about live-in nursing please click 'next'.
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