Hospice Training Guide

MANAGE SYMPTOMS

Trouble Breathing/Shortness of Breath

Seizures

A seizure is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that affects how a person feels or acts for a short time. On rare occasions, a seizure may last for several minutes. Before some seizures, there may be warning signs. A person may have a sense that something is wrong (have a strange feeling, tingling), but sometimes, seizures come with no warning. A seizure can affect people in different ways. Some may be barely noticed, while others may cause the person to have uncontrolled movements of the whole body. Seizures may cause the person to fall to the floor or even become unconscious. After a seizure, the person may be very sleepy. This may last for a few seconds, minutes, or hours. Some Possible Causes of Seizures: • Infections • Medications • Fever Some Things You May See During a Seizure: • Medical condition or a disease • Prior head injury CALL YOUR CARE TEAM IF: • The patient has a new

Shortness of breath is also called dyspnea. Patients often describe it as a feeling of not getting enough air or a feeling that you cannot catch your breath, as if the room is closing in or that there is not enough air in the room. Shortness of Breath can Cause: • A need to sit upright • Blue or grey color in lips, fingertips, toes, end of nose, or ears Stay Calm and Breathe Slowly while You Help the Patient do the Following: • Sit up in a chair or recliner. • Raise head on pillows when lying in bed. • Sit with hands on knees or on the side of the bed leaning over. • Fear, anxiety • Gasping • An inablity to keep doing an activity

• Give medication, includ- ing inhalers, nebulizers, pills, or liquids as ordered. Your nurse will teach you how to use the medica- tions properly. Sometimes a small dose of liquid mor- phine can also help. • Keep area quiet to de- crease feelings of anxiety. • Use relaxing activities

or unusual seizure, or new behavior after a seizure. • There is any injury to the patient during or after a seizure. • The patient’s seizure is not stopping. • There is an increase in seizure frequency or severity. • The patient’s supply of medications for seizures becomes low.

• Take slow, deep breaths, breathing in (inhale) through the nose and breathing out (exhale) slowly and gently through pursed lips (lips that are “puckered” as if you were going to whistle). This breathing exercise is like blowing bubbles and will help restore good, slow, deep breaths to the lungs. • Open a window, use a fan, air conditioner, or gently fan a piece of paper several inches from the patient’s face to circulate the air near the pa- tient. • Apply a cool cloth to head or neck. • Use oxygen if ordered, making sure it is turned on, the tubes or mask are in the right place on the patient’s face, the tube is not kinked, and no one is smoking.

• Muscle jerking, twitching • Stiffening of the body • Bladder emptying, wetting • Blurred vision • Inability to speak or slurred speech

• Unconsciousness, passing out • Eyes rolling back • Confusion, short memory loss • Blank stare

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How to Help: • Move any objects that the person may fall on or bump into. • Turn the person on their side if vomiting occurs. • Gently support the head by placing a pillow underneath. • Remove eye glasses if possible. • Do not put anything in their mouth and do not try to hold their tongue. • Give medications if ordered.

such as prayer, meditation, calming music, mas- sage, or other things that have helped the pa- tient be calm in the past. Your Care Team will be able to offer suggestions, like massage, relaxa- tion exercises, or music therapy to help.

CALL YOUR CARE TEAM IF: • The patient’s shortness of breath increases or does not get better with the usual treatments or medicines. • The patient needs to use more than the normal amount of medicine or treatments to relieve shortness of breath. • You think you need to increase the oxygen. DO NOT make any adjustments without consulting your Care Team first.

866.466.9734 • FourSeasonsCare.org

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