Guide to Caring

The Irish Red Cross Handbook Helping You to Care is a practical, fully illustrated guide for those looking after someone who is ill, with comprehensive advice on all aspects of caring, including personal care skills, comfort, mobility and nutrition.  The chapter on Palliative Care includes the following topics, facing death, stages of grief, practical care, towards end of life, after death and registering death.  An extract is available here: Palliative Care HYTC Handbk_PALLIATIVE CARE.pdf (0.09 MB, Adobe PDF) .  More details on accessing this book can be obtained from the Irish Red Cross. 

Looking after a loved one who is seriously ill can be tiring, frustrating, distressing and isolating at times, with the added anxiety of not being sure if you have the experience to handle the care of your relative or friend.  The Irish Cancer Society booklet A Time to Care has a section on how family / friends who are caring for someone who is facing death should look after themselves.