End of life care
What is end of life care?
End-of-life care provides the holistic support that is needed at the end of someone’s life.
End-of-life care is a type of palliative care that is reserved for the final weeks and days of a person’s life. It focuses on helping the person to spend the time they have left in comfort and dignity, allowing them to pass in the most peaceful way possible. While some people spend their final days in a hospital, hospice or nursing home, end-of-life care at home has become a preferred option for those who wish to spend their last moments within their own home, and surrounded by their loved ones.
Dedicated end of life care when you need it most
End-of-life care gives your loved one dignity, peacefulness and comfort in their final days.
End-of-life care at home allows you – or a loved one – to remain in the place you feel most comfortable and safe as you approach the end of your life.
After a terminal diagnosis, change can be disruptive and unbalancing, as can the process of settling into a completely new environment such as a hospice or hospital. Fully-managed end-of-life home care lets you or a family member stay at home, surrounded by loved ones and special comforts, while receiving care that focuses on managing symptoms and minimising pain levels.
How can an end of life carer help you?
A fully trained carer can offer regular support with many tasks to make you or a loved one
At Helping Hands, we focus on promoting independence and respecting your dignity and privacy. Your local care manager will work with you to understand what your specific needs are and the different ways your chosen carer can support you, such as:
Personal care
Supporting with bathing, showering and continence, including changing continence pads or using a commode
Mobility support
Such as help moving position in bed and help with standing or sitting – and using hoists when required
Administering medication
Administering or prompting medication, collecting prescriptions for you and supporting with pain management
Housekeeping assistance
Changing bedding and undertaking housekeeping duties including cleaning, vacuuming and much much more
Complex care
Complex care such as support with catheters, stomas and PEG feeding, and other condition-specific support
Preparing meals and drinks
Preparing meals, snacks and drinks to taste and dietary requirements at the times of day that are convenient for you
What are the options for end of life care?
With Helping Hands, there are many options for bespoke end-of-life support at home.
There are a number of ways your loved one can receive end-of-life care at home. Most importantly, a care package is created that is completely unique to you or your loved one’s needs, with an expertly trained carer who you feel most comfortable with. On calling our team, one of our home care specialists will talk you through the options for your family and can even arrange a face-to-face meeting with your local Helping Hands care manager.
Our most popular care options are:
Live-in care for end of life
A live-in carer will stay at home with you, being on hand to provide the support that is needed when it’s needed most. Your care manager will work with you to carefully choose one of our fully trained carers, finding the person who is the right fit for your family. This carer will offer continuous support and be someone that you and your family get to know.
Home visits at set times
Your local Helping Hands branch provides visits for set times each day or week, from as little as 30 minutes. Among many other things, visiting care offers a very useful sitting service if a family member needs a few hours to rest themselves. Other families use it for extra support with chores or cooking meals so they can spend more time together in those precious final moments.
Overnight end-of-life care at home
If your loved one needs constant support overnight, maybe with medication, pain management or going to the toilet, you can also arrange overnight care. It’s a valuable service allowing you, or another caregiver, to have a much-needed rest yourself so you can be fresh for the next day. This care can come in the form of either waking or sleeping night support.
Emergency care at home
Support needs can change suddenly. At Helping Hands, we offer a fast and responsive service so you can get the right support in place in an emergency. With a nationwide team of CQC-registered care managers, clinical nurse trainers and an extensive team of fully trained carers, experienced in end-of-life carer, we can offer the support that’s needed at the last minutes.
Amazing carers, delivering quality care in your home
We’re extremely proud of our end-of-life carers who constantly go above and beyond to ensure every customer receives the very highest standard of care in their final months and weeks. We only hire the most kind and compassionate carers, because we believe these are essential characteristics for a great carer.
When they join us, every carer receives our industry-leading training, which equips them to provide a wide range of care services to people with varying needs. They’ll then continue to participate in regular refresher courses to ensure their knowledge and skillset are always up to date with the latest care industry standards.
Why choose care at home over residential care?
At Helping Hands, the reason we’re home care specialists is because we passionately believe that home is the best place in which to receive care. There are numerous advantages to end-of-life care at home over residential care, such as:
How to arrange end of life care
We know that arranging care can be a daunting process, which is why we focus on making it incredibly straightforward to organise support with us. Call our team today to begin your journey.
Speak to our team
Speak to our friendly team to talk through your options and ask them any questions about our care
Free home care assessment
Your local Helping Hands manager will visit you as soon as possible to talk through your needs and wishes
Find your carer
We’ll pair you with a carer who has the skills and experience to offer compassionate end-of-life care
Fully regulated by the CQC / CIW
Here at Helping Hands, our live-in care service is fully managed and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
From your very first phone call to our friendly team, every aspect of your home care service is independently monitored and regulated by the CQC and Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW).
Why is being a regulated company important?
What does regulation mean?
Our service is regularly monitored, inspected and regulated by an independent body
Why do we choose to be regulated?
We want every customer to have full peace of mind that their care is approved by a regulating body
How does regulation affect my care?
Our regulation means a guarantee that we’ll provide you with high quality care, no matter what
Page reviewed by Rebecca Bennett, Regional Clinical Lead, on July 25, 2024.
How we wrote this page
This page has been produced referencing key insights and data from external experts, trusted medical sources and our team of in-house specialists. We have worked hard to ensure that all information is as accurate as possible and reflects current consensus at the time of writing and reviewing.