What is Comfort Care?

What is Comfort Care?

Comfort care means COMFORT, not cure. Our scientific and medical cultures are trained and geared toward cure, treatment, and results. It is often difficult to move from this modality into comfort care only.

Such things as lab work, blood sugar reading, monitors, antibiotics, artificial nutrition, food and water, meds, continued chemotherapy, insulin and other result and data gathering procedures may need to be questioned as the dying process progresses. We must ask what will truly comfort the dying person, both physically and emotionally and let this guide our actions.

Caring, nurturing and comfort can most often be accomplished without medical procedures or even food and water in most instances. However, if these things comfort a dying loved one it may be beneficial to continue them. Check frequently with the person for any desire for change or requests to discontinue any of these measures.

Some hospitals and nursing homes have comfort care units. Even in these units families and caregivers are encouraged to continue to ask what will truly be of comfort. We encourage families and care givers to continue acting as advocates for their loved one, to ensure that their needs and wishes are being met and respected.

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This information is from a new book by Judy H. Wright and Jane Franz on the loss of a loved one. Watch the website and blog for more information. We welcome your input and comments.