Be open about end of life care

Jamie Ashton, Orchard Care Home’s clinical lead at its Three Bridges home in Warrington, talks to Caring Times about the importance of families discussing end of life care at a critical time in a person’s life.

By specialising in end of life care, Ashton chose what could be considered quite an unusual career path for someone starting out in nursing. After qualifying as a nurse at Chester University and undertaking a post in intensive care for two years, he realised that his passion lay in caring for the elderly and sought to develop end of life care practices within Orchard.

Having grown up around care, often visiting his grandmother in a care home in Workington, Ashton knew that often the difference to a positive end of life experience, where everyone feels informed and able to contribute their needs, can bring so much comfort to the person and their families.

“Often talking about death is a bit taboo,” Ashton says. “Many people feel uncomfortable either talking about their own end of life wishes or feel anxious bringing the subject up."

“Often talking about death is a bit taboo,” Ashton says. “Many people feel uncomfortable either talking about their own end of life wishes or feel anxious bringing the subject up.

“At Orchard Care Homes, we believe that everyone should have a voice when it comes to their end of life care plans,” he continues. “It’s important to decide who the person wants by their side in the final hours and what symptom management they prefer. Some of the people we have helped have requested more contemporary methods of relaxation such as aromatherapy, which can help to ease the anxiety around such a difficult event.”

The Covid pandemic was a bit of a turning point for Ashton and his team as social distancing restrictions meant that often he had to become the conduit for the sick person and their family, so he sought to bring everyone together through a bespoke questionnaire.

“This approach was a bit of a game changer for us,” comments Ashton. “It really helped to address the visitation issues at the time and it prompted questions between the family which they may not have thought about or were too worried to ask.”

While a difficult role emotionally, end of life care is something that Ashton and his team continue to adapt and develop as they learn more about what each individual needs. Quality of care and best practice is at the forefront of Orchard Care Homes’ strategy and end of life care is no exception, with the team often going the extra mile to gain a positive result for the families.

“I’m always thinking how I can do more to help to make such a difficult event more comfortable for everyone."

“I’m always thinking how I can do more to help to make such a difficult event more comfortable for everyone. Some days it’s really hard, and I go home taking the job away with me, thinking what else can be done to make a family’s experience as positive as possible.

“It can be a difficult, emotional job,” he adds. “But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m really proud of our achievements and the caring, respectful work we do for our people at a time when they need a lot of reassurance and hand holding.”