Families tend to go through a range of emotions when they learn that losing a family member is quickly becoming a reality. Understanding these different emotional challenges can help families to find the solutions they need to manage them more effectively. Hospice supportive care services offer hands-on help with end-of-life concerns, but they can also help families cope with the emotional impact of the dying process.
Managing Grief
One of the most complicated emotions families experience when someone is near the end of life is grief. Grief starts even before the loss occurs. This is called anticipatory grief and it can be a scary feeling. Grief is often made up of other emotions, too, like anger, sadness, and loss. Sorting through the various emotions can be overwhelming. Recognizing these feelings and acknowledging them makes it easier to deal with them while watching a beloved family member’s health decline.
Guilt and Regrets
Many family caregivers also battle regrets and guilt, especially around not being able to do more for their family members. They may also experience feelings that make them feel guilty, like relief that their family member’s suffering may end soon. Hospice supportive care helps families find safe ways to express and process some of these complicated feelings.
Anxiety
There is also a lot of anxiety around the end of life. Death and dying bring up both fear and anxiety, both about the person who is near death as well as what might happen in the future. In the immediate future, it is normal for families to worry about what else their family members might experience as they edge closer to dying. Understanding what hospice can do to alleviate symptoms and suffering can be helpful.
Role Changes
When one family member is close to passing away, that changes the family dynamics and even roles within the family. As elders pass away and leave the family unit, that is going to bring a lot of changes to how the rest of the family operates. Some family members may take on new caregiving responsibilities. Navigating those changes means that families have to be flexible and support each other as they adapt to what is happening.
Coping Mechanisms and Support Systems
Dealing with all of the different emotions involved in grief is not something that families have to do alone. Learning new coping mechanisms and finding support systems are essential pieces of the puzzle. Hospice supportive care can help families find the resources that they need to manage their grief and get the emotional support they need.
Managing the emotional impact of losing a family member is a lot easier with help. Hospice supportive care assists with the practical concerns related to end-of-life issues, but it also helps families deal with their feelings about what is happening. With that assistance, families can focus on what their family members need as they edge closer to the end of life. Coping with these feelings properly and healthily is essential because they don’t just go away on their own.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Hospice Supportive Care Services in Murrysville PA please contact the caring staff at Extended Family Care Pittsburgh today. Call 412-241-7292
Extended Family Care Pittsburgh is a Trusted Home Care Agency in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania including Allegheny County, Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Mercer County, Washington County, North Hills, South Hills, Fox Chapel, Monroeville, Murrysville, Oakland, Plum Boro, Squirrel Hill.
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