Palliative care is the branch of medicine concerned with managing pain, quality of life, and overall well-being for terminally ill patients or otherwise unable to cope with a severe illness. The goal is to provide relief from medical symptoms and improve the quality of life for the patient and their family. Patients with serious illnesses may require palliative care, including when they are first hospitalized or subsequently admitted to the hospital. Palliative care can be delivered by a team of specially trained physicians and other health professionals, by primary care providers working in hospital settings, or by a team that includes both. Palliative care aims to ease patients' and families' physical, emotional, social, and spiritual distress. It is an important part of the healthcare system, even if it’s sometimes ignored.
Types of Palliative Care
Palliative care programs differ depending on the patient population they serve, resources and expertise available, and funding. Some typical programs include:
- Inpatient Palliative Care - The inpatient palliative care program provides specialized care for patients who are dying or otherwise unable to cope with serious illnesses.
- Patient-Centered Palliative Care - This type of palliative care is based on the philosophy that providing comfort and respect to patients and their families is most important. It can include creating a home-like environment, including music, art, aromatherapy, games, and other activities that support the patient's needs. It also involves attentiveness and emotional support during times of distress.
- Community Palliative Care - This program emphasizes helping patients and their families cope with pain and other symptoms, as well as helping them with the many aspects of daily living. The program can also help family members learn to care for a loved one while dying. It focuses on helping patients and their families deal with symptoms and daily activities of living.
- Home-based palliative care - Home-based palliative care is provided to patients in their own homes. It helps patients and family members cope with symptoms, helps them with daily living activities, prevents or relieves pain, and promotes physical and emotional comfort. Home-based palliative care teams may include family members, caregivers, nurses, social workers, and other health professionals.
Features of Palliative Care
Palliative care aims to ensure that patients receive the best possible care for their condition. It also aims to relieve pain and other symptoms, help patients and families cope with them, and prevent or relieve pain and other symptoms. Communicating with a patient about their symptoms will help the physician know whether to refer the patient elsewhere for treatment.
Palliative care focuses on patient-centered care. It is a philosophy of respect and compassion. Palliative care providers aim to provide the highest emotional support, comfort, and attention to patients, their families, and their caregivers. In addition to the treatment process, helping with other aspects of health care or actual healing for the patient.
Pain and distress are treated, in the palliative care setting, using a variety of techniques. Standard techniques include medications, psychotherapy, and other forms of holistic health care. These include music therapy, aromatherapy, massage, drawing, and painting.
Finding Palliative Care
There are several ways in which a patient or family member can find proper palliative care services.
- Ask for it - Patients who need palliative care do not know it or do not ask for it. They often fear asking for more time when they know their life may be too short.
- Ask about your medical condition - It is one of the best ways to determine whether you need palliative care. Ask your doctor to give you a general assessment of your situation and what the most likely outcome will be in the time remaining before you die.
- Contact palliative care organizations around the country - These organizations provide free support and information to patients and family members with serious illnesses. These groups also provide local access to grassroots, community-based palliative care support. They have chapters throughout the country and are often sponsored by hospices. Some people can get help through these organizations.
Palliative care aims to provide comfort and support and relieve pain and other symptoms for patients. Palliative care providers work with patients and their families to create a plan of care that best meets the needs of the patient and their families in their specific circumstances. Ensure the palliative care team has adequate knowledge and skills to coordinate palliative care for you or your loved one.