Let's Talk About it! by Rose Lea;

Author:Rose, Lea; [Rose, Lea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: non-fiction
Publisher: Michelle Anderson Publishing
Published: 2014-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

15

A Team Approach: Caring for Adults or Children

Caring for the dying or seriously ill must not be the sole responsibility of only one person. A team approach is essential in maintaining support for the primary carer as well as care for the patient. This team may include extended family members, people from the community, and medical staff, who need to have a place in supporting anyone who is caring for the dying. Just as there is support available in the community when there is a birth, there also needs to be community support available when someone is dying.

Whether the person is at home, in a nursing or retirement home, or hospitalised, if you are the carer it is vitally important to ask for help and to build a team of support around you, so you can continue to care for your loved one. Your mental and physical health is just as important as the patient’s care. Not only that, burnout of the carer leaves the person without their loved primary carer, and feeling alone and afraid. There are organisations that support carers, and it can be useful to seek their support.

While I was working at the Royal Children’s Hospital, in the oncology ward, the need to look after the carer became quite apparent. Children can be hospitalised for years, and the primary family members caring for these children are at a high risk of mental, emotional and physical burnout. It is a noticeable and recognised issue, of which staff members at the hospital are aware. They are trained to encourage family members looking after a sick child to take some time away from the hospital ward.

Beth was the mother of baby Georgia, who was born with cancer. Beth was afraid to leave her baby for even a few minutes, fearful that Georgia would die if she left her alone. Months passed and Beth barely left the ward. She had not recognised that staff members were not only medically trained but also support carers for both her and her baby. At first Beth resented being pressured to leave Georgia in order to have time for her own self-care. She even saw this time for self-care as an indication of her failure to cope as a mother. She had little trust in a team approach, but was on the brink of burnout. Reluctantly, she took her first break, a short walk in the park adjoining the hospital. Upon her return, Beth found baby Georgia peacefully asleep in the arms of a nurse.

That day, the young mother embraced change and began taking short walks each day. She enlisted her favourite nurses to keep watch over her precious baby, while giving herself some time to revitalise. Later, as her trust in the team approach grew, she would leave the ward for a chat with a friend over a cuppa, or for a little extra sleep. Beth’s ability to care for herself enabled her to give greater love and care to Georgia.

Iris had spent two weeks in intensive care with heart failure and wasn’t expected to live.

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