Caregiver Do’s and Don’ts at End of Life
End-of-life caregiving should focus on comfort, safety, and the person’s cues rather than forcing normal routines. Caregivers should offer food, fluids, medications, rest, and mobility support without pushing when the person is too weak, refusing, or having trouble swallowing. Forcing food or liquids can increase aspiration risk, especially if the person coughs, chokes, or holds food in the mouth, and forcing activity can increase fall risk when the body is very weak. Instead, caregivers should keep the person upright when eating or drinking, prioritize comfort over strict diets, ask hospice or the doctor which medications are still necessary, and seek help when swallowing, medication refusal, weakness, or caregiver exhaustion becomes difficult to manage.