Book Description

"A must-have for all levels of palliative caregivers " An excellent resource for palliative caregivers - including family, community health workers, resident care assistants, nurses and anyone else wanting a solid foundation in this important area. The Essentials manual engages readers with warmth and heart. It provides caregivers with the necessary resources and tools to understand key issues in the dying process. "Essentials" extends our understanding of how to provide excellent care for the dying, by teaching strategies to: * Enhance comfort through palliation and simple comfort measures. * Be "up close and personal" with the dying. * Deal with the psychosocial implications of physical changes in last days and hours. * Develop supportive strategies for both patients and "family." * Engage with the challenge of "being with" instead of "doing for." * Enhance your understanding of the nature of grief. * Strengthen communication skills and avoid common roadblocks. * Support children who are living with dying by understanding the essential principles of how to talk about death with kids, what to say, and when to say it. * Care for yourself by applying a strength based model of self care.