Working alongside Hospice while caring for a loved one nearing the end of life was a blessing. The compassion and support received from Hospice was beyond anything we expected. Not only did they provide all that we needed to manage the daily care needs, but they also shared support and guidance helping us understand the complexities of the dying process.
We were fortunate enough to have several family members who were willing to pitch in and help, so we were able to take shifts and allow ourselves some respite time along the way. We were also blessed with several nurses in our immediate family.
Traditional medicine today is painstakingly slow and often frustrating. Hospice is very much the opposite providing medication, equipment and supplies with timeliness and precision. While Hospice is not a 24/7 service, they made sure we had everything necessary. Some of our team members could even work remotely and provide care knowing that Hospice was always just a phone call away. They checked on us daily and spent more time with us as our journey progressed.
Hospice recommended creating a log to track medications and daily activities early in the process. This was especially helpful at keeping our entire care team informed and allowed us to easily answer questions from Hospice regarding medication and patient concerns. As time passed, the logs helped us track changes and preserve cherished memories, including visits, humorous moments and thoughtful gestures of family and friends. The logs help us to remember the patient telling a relative she sure would like some catfish. He left that evening, went fishing and delivered the meal the following evening.
Being a huge fan of Microsoft OneNote, I promptly created a log as Hospice suggested. I included important phone numbers, a place for notes, daily activities log and medication tracker. I would print several days’ logs at a time. As medications or activities changed, I would update the log to include the changes and print a few more.
For your personal use, you can view a sample log below and download the MS Word version called “Caregiver Daily log for “. This can be used as an MS Word file, or copied into OneNote. Feel free to adjust the templates as you see fit. I found it more efficient to include the name of each medication on the list so we only needed to handwrite the dosage and time on the log.
Today the logs help us to reflect on our journey with Hospice, we’re reminded of the importance of support in all forms, even through simple pleasures like sharing a meal together. If you’re navigating a similar path, remember that every small act of kindness and every moment of respite matters.
We hope our story and the resources shared here provide some comfort and practical help to those in similar situations. Thank you for joining us on this journey.
One Response
Hospice is so much more than what people think. Thank you for sharing your journey with us!