care

As individuals near the end of their life, many of them worry how they will spend their last few days; whether it will be in hospital or at home surrounded by friends and family.  

M moved to Ian Fraser Court in 2000. Her flat was remodelled to suit her changing needs including a walk-in shower, wider doors, and a roomier living area.

In 2005 M was diagnosed with terminal cancer and decided that she wanted to die at home. Working with medical, nursing and home care services, the Court Manager, M and her two sons talked through her needs and agreed that a full care package was needed to help her live the rest of her life at the court.

Care was provided three times a day together with a night sitter from the local hospice. The carers helped with all the practical things, such as hygiene, toileting and the laundry.

Community Nurses visited alternate days and reviewed the pain M was in and provided the necessary medication. They also provided a commode and a floating mattress to prevent M from getting sores.

It was suggested by the Court Manager to change the bedroom into the lounge and the lounge into the bedroom. This helped make everyone's job easier, and meant that M was able to have friends and neighbours visit her up to the day of her death.

Laundry provision was important as M used an incontinent device called the "Kylie"; a sheet that goes under the client, next to their skin and absorbs the spoiled urine. This sheet needs to be washed anything up to twice in a 24 hour period.  

Communicating with tenants on the rest of the court was important. M was open about her illness, so the Court Manager gave out daily reports on her condition. Tenants were encouraged to talk about what was happening, to visit M if they wanted and to carry on as normal.  Some held charity events to raise money for the Macmillian nursing staff, which genuinely seemed to help.

By working closely with local professional services, M was able to spend her last days surrounding by friends, family and memories.