Palliative and end of life care (Care homes & care at home)
Help the client to prioritise activities and plan their day so that they can do things when they have most energy.
Suggest that short naps during the day might be helpful.
Encourage good sleep habits at night.
Help with boredom: Boredom can be a major cause of weariness, but it is often not observed by the doctor and family, who are all so busy. You can help to alleviate boredom through talking with the person and offering distraction if appropriate – e.g. music, radio, television.
Open discussion: people who have fatigue can feel very down about this and may welcome discussion about why and what they can do.
Help the person to access and use equipment and adaptations provided by health and care services to make best use of the strength they have.
Encourage gentle exercise when the client feels able. The Macmillan Move More DVD resource offers gentle exercises which may be helpful (available freely from the be.Macmillan website)
Use the approaches highlighted in this app to help clients with:
Contact the GP, District Nurse or Coordinator if there are any changes that cause concern.