What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care aims to enhance the quality of life of patients and their families who are faced with a life-threatening illness. It focuses on increasing comfort through prevention and treatment of suffering.
Palliative care encompasses the whole self, caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and their families. It provides relief from pain and other symptoms of illness such as fatigue, nausea, shortness of breath, and loss of appetite. The goal is to prevent and relieve these symptoms so you can get on with daily life.
Palliative Care vs Hospice Care
Hospice is only one form of palliative care. True palliative care can be offered any time in the course of an illness along with curative therapies meant to prolong life, whereas hospice care is designed for patients with a terminal illness and life expectancy of six months or less.
To learn more about hospice, see "What is Hospice Care?"
The Palliative Care Team
It's common practice in the treatment of illnesses to have several different doctors treating separate conditions. For example, someone with diabetes may see an endocrinologist to manage blood sugars, a cardiologist to manage heart disease, and a nephrologist to manage kidney disease. A palliative care doctor often acts as the conductor, orchestrating the care between several specialists to produce care that is in perfect harmony.
Palliative care is carried out by a team of professionals who are committed to working together to provide the patient and their family comprehensive care. This team may include:
- Palliative care physicians
- Specialists or general practitioners
- Nurses
- Nursing assistants or home health aides
- Social workers
- Chaplains
- Physical, occupational, and speech therapists
The team can offer support to patients and their loved ones, help them navigate through the health care process, and assist in making health care choices that are right for them.
Settings of Palliative Care
Palliative care can be given in a hospital setting, often times in conjunction with other therapies and treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation. It can also be delivered at a patient’s place of residence such as the patients own home, the home of a family member, or a nursing home. The goals of care are the same regardless of where a patient receives it. Your doctor, case manager nurse, or social worker can direct you in finding palliative care.
Who Can Benefit from Palliative Care?
Anyone who has a life limiting illness can benefit from palliative care. Once thought to be only for cancer patients, palliative care programs are now caring for people with all kinds of illnesses. Heart disease, stroke, neurological disorders, and deadly infections are just some of the conditions a palliative care team may see every day. If you think you could benefit from palliative care, speak with your doctor about it today.
