Natural Support in Palliative Care

Any health professional or carer working in palliative care understands the need for a range of support methods. As palliative care involves working alongside someone who has a life-limiting or terminal illness, it is a very personal branch of healthcare. Strong relationships within the professional care team are important to ensure needs are communicated and met.

Although palliative care does include end of life care, it may be needed for much longer periods of time as not all illnesses progress rapidly.

In this article, we’ll look at how this important process can be supported naturally.

Stages of Palliative Care

Care levels are recognised in stages, ranging from Stage 1 that focuses on developing care plans while the patient is stable, to Stage 5 that aims to work with families coping with bereavement. [1]

Some people in need of care may be treated in a hospice setting while others remain in their home for the end stages of illness. For those home-based carers, being able to spend time with their loved one in a positive and relaxing way could add so much to the care provided.

Possible Symptoms

People receiving palliative care may be impacted by a range of symptoms. Some require little symptom management while others need significant support.

Some of the issues which can arise could include:

• Pain
• Nausea/vomiting
• Difficulty sleeping
• Anxiety
• Depression [2]

Dealing emotionally with a life-limiting illness is a significant challenge. Natural therapies can help ease the pressure of symptoms.

Can Aromatherapy Make a Difference?

Many studies have been carried out with positive results to inquire into whether aromatherapy can help in symptom relief for people receiving palliative care.

For example, in the study performed by Weaver, Robinson and Wichman (2020), improvements were shown in nausea, mood and pain when inhaling essential oils [3]. In a further study, Armstrong et al. (2019) found benefits in the use of aromatherapy and massage for many who experienced improvements in their well-being and in being able to focus on something other than their illness [4].

At Aromacare, we understand the potential difficulties of palliative care and have developed a range of products to support people and their families during this time.

Healthcare Facility Support

It can be frustrating when you know someone would benefit from aromatherapy, whether it is the use of an essential oil blend in a diffuser or for massage, and you can’t locate everything you need when you want it straight away.

Our Palliative Aromatherapy Kit means that everything you need is on hand. Including a diffuser, range of essential oil blends and massage oil all stored in a handy wooden box, our kit means you can focus on giving comfort to the person you are caring for.

The blends included concentrate on a range of possible symptoms, such as depression, insomnia and anxiety, and on-site training can be given to widen your knowledge of how this valuable therapy may be used.

Palliative Aromatherapy Kit

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Support at Home

We provide a wide range of products to support specific symptom relief and to provide opportunities for loved ones to connect and bring comfort to each other.

 Conclusion

Helping a loved one or those we care for in a health care facility manage the palliative care journey will never be easy. Natural therapies provide a tool which can enhance connection and symptom relief.

Taking pleasure in a massage or simply focusing on breathing while diffusing a blend of essential oils could provide a welcome respite from worries.

We love hearing from you so please reach out if we can answer any questions this article may have brought up for you.

[1] The 5 Stages of Palliative Care

[2] What is Palliative Care

[3] Aromatherapy improves nausea, pain and mood for patients receiving palliative care.

[4] Aromatherapy, massage and reflexology- A systematic review and thematic synthesis of the perspective from people with palliative care needs