Book: Emotional Well-Being for the Person with Dementia

Comfort is one of the six psychological needs identified by Kitwood. It is perhaps the main concern at end of life.

It is defined as a state of physical ease and freedom from pain or constraints.

Maintaining physical and emotional comfort forms the mainstay of the palliative care approach to care - alleviating suffering rather than attempting to prolong life.

Comfort care also includes 'being with rather than doing for’. Try to set the kind of environment that most acknowledges the person's personhood. What has he or she always enjoyed? 

So in the context of a long-term care environment, 'comfort' may mean different things to different people. For example, if Bill loved a party, it might be natural for him to want to be surrounded by family and friends. Perhaps Ellen always preferred spending quiet moments with one or two people at a time. It follows that she may be most comfortable with just a few visitors.