Many Americans die in hospitals or nursing homes not receiving the end of life care that they asked for. End of life treatments are the last measures that your healthcare team takes to try and save your life. Some individuals want anything and everything that could save them. Others do not wish this and would rather die without intervention than receive resuscitative care.
Palliative care and hospice makes this process easier. If you know that you want certain measures for end of life care, then it’s important to discuss them with your family, nurses and physicians so they can try to provide you with the care that best meets your wishes. If your family member is unable to provide details on how they would like to end their life, then it is important as the primary caregiver to try and guess what would be the most appropriate course of action and adhere to that.
We are going to discuss what is palliative care and hospice to see if that would be a good option for you or your family member.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is a special medical care for people living with a serious illness like cancer or heart failure. Patients in palliative care may receive medical care for their symptoms, instead of curative treatments for their disease. Often patients in this position do not have cures, or the cures are so painful and experimental, that it’s not worth the pain. Therefore, they are able to end their lives as comfortable as possible with appropriate pain management.
Palliative care is meant to enhance a person’s current care by focusing on quality of life for them and their family. Palliative care can also occur in conjunction with treatments for the disease, but truly focuses on minimizing pain and discomfort throughout the treatment course.
Who can benefit from palliative care?
Palliative care is a resource for anyone living with a serious illness, that is often irreversible. These include, but are not limited to, chronic heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, dementia, Parkinson’s disease and many others. Palliative care can be helpful at any stage of illness and is best provided soon after the diagnosis is made. This means that as soon as someone receives a chronic, long-term illness with few options for curative treatment, start looking into palliative options. This way, as they begin their treatment, they are most comfortable.
In addition to improving quality of life and helping with symptoms, palliative care can help patients understand their options for medical treatment. The organized services available through palliative care may be helpful to any older person having a lot of general discomfort and disability very late in life.
Who is a part of the palliative care team?
The palliative care team is not just one physician and nurse. It is a multi-disciplinary team that works with the patient, family, and other physicians and healthcare providers to support the patient medically, socially, emotionally and practically. The team is comprised of palliative care specialist doctors and nurses. These professionals are trained in palliative care specifically. There are also other non-medical support staff like social workers, nutritionists, and chaplains. All individuals are there to help the patient progress as comfortably as possible.
Where is palliative care provided?
Palliative care can be provided in a variety of settings. Hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient care clinics, specialized clinics and home are all places where one can receive palliative care. Medicare, Medicaid and insurance policies may cover palliative care. Veterans may even be eligible for palliative care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Private health insurance may pay for some services and can answer questions about what they will cover and what they will not.
When to progress from palliative care
Palliative care does not cause someone to give up on treatment of the underlying disorder. It can be provided at the same time and may begin at the time of diagnosis. Over time, however, if the palliative care team no longer things that ongoing treatment is helping, there are two possibilities. Palliative care could transition to hospice care if the doctor believes the person is likely to die within six months. Or the palliative care team could continue to help with increasing emphasis on comfort care.
What is hospice care?
Hospice care is increasingly becoming a more popular option for end of life. Hospice care focuses on the care, comfort and quality of life of a person with a serious illness who is approaching the end of life.
It may not be possible to cure a serious illness or a patient may choose to no undergo certain treatments. Hospice is designed for this situation. The patient beginning hospice care understands that his or her illness is not responding to medical attempts to cure it or slow the disease progress.
Palliative care and hospice are similar in the fact that hospice provides comprehensive comfort care, as well as support for the family. But in hospice, treatment efforts are stopped. Hospice is for individuals whose physicians do not think they will live another six months if the disease runs its natural course.
It’s important for patients to discuss hospice care options with their doctor. Sometimes, people wait too long and are unable to truly enjoy the benefits that it offers. Perhaps they wait too long to begin hospice and are too close to death. Or, they may not be eligible for hospice care soon enough to receive its full benefit. Starting hospice early may be able to provide months of meaningful care and quality time with loved ones.
When you are deciding what is right for you or a loved one, here are just a couple of options to think about. If you would like to do home health, Diverse Health Services can help you and caretakers with that adjustment. We provide transportation, medication assistance, cleaning, and other tasks that can aid with palliative care and/or hospice. To learn more, please click services to see what we offer.
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