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Introduction
Sharing is the art of Giving, Giving is the art of Loving, Loving is the art of Caring." - Author Unknown The information in this e-book is written for the average layperson who has no clinical or nursing experience in caring for the terminally ill. It is dedicated to providing relevant and up-to-date information on how to care for your terminally ill loved one at home. It is hope that this website will be useful to those of you who are embarking on or are presently looking after a loved one at home. The information is also useful to those of you who are caring for someone else on a voluntary basis, such as hospice volunteers and social workers. It contains some useful suggestions on how to prepare yourself and your home for caregiving. It also contains instructions on some basic caregiving skills you should acquire, such as hygiene care, nutritional care and how to prevent and manage bedsores, symptoms to monitor and how to give medications to your loved one. It shows you when you should get specialized or complementary care for your loved one and provides tips on what you should do when you encounter common symptoms such as pain, vomiting, breathing difficulty, hiccups, dry mouth, constipation and itch. Included here are also some useful topics such as relaxation technique, meditation, the importance of touch and massage, and some instructions on how to bath, move, position or transfer an immobile or bedridden person. In addition, common emotional issues such as anger, denial, depression, anxiety, fear and forgiving are touched upon. I have also included some end-of-life issues like advance directives, legal and financial issues, and look into some basic spiritual beliefs. Since the majority of caregivers are women, I've taken the liberty of using the female pronoun when referring to the caregiver. On the other hand, throughout this website I've used the male pronoun to refer to the care recipient. Obviously, this is interchangeable, depending on your own circumstances. The purpose of fixing the female pronoun and the male pronoun for the caregiver and care recipient respectively is to make it easier for me to write and for you to read.
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