Baycrest - End of Life Volunteer Manual
33
It's important for volunteers to support the person and family by:
• Remaining nonjudgmental about the choices that a person or
family members may make about palliative treatments
• Helping the person or family members to live as fully as possible
• Being alert to the person's changing needs (physical, emotional
and spiritual) and communicating these to nursing.
2. SYMPTOMS AT END OF LIFE
Although each illness will have some unique symptoms, it is
common for patients to have some of the following symptoms,
which may also co-exist.
• Pain
• Loss of appetite (anorexia)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fatigue
• Generalized weakness
• Problems swallowing food or drink
• Breathlessness
• Constipation
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Anxiety and/or depressed mood
• Insomnia
People who have been treated for cancer may also experience the
side effects of:
• Chemotherapy including nausea and vomiting, fatigue and risk
of infection, muscle weakness or tingling/loss of sensation,
constipation, diarrhoea, mouth ulcers and hair loss (alopecia).
• Radiation therapy including hair loss, vomiting, nausea and
diarrhoea, dry mouth, increased risk of infection, tiredness and
headache.
