Palliative care

What is Palliative Care? Palliative care is a type of health care that focuses on relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life for people with serious illnesses. It’s also known as end-of-life (EOL) or hospice medicine because it helps patients manage their illness at the very end of their lives. Palliative doctors provide expert medical advice to help relieve pain, improve mobility and function, reduce anxiety about dying from cancer or other life-threatening illness, and reduce the emotional suffering of people with serious illnesses.

Palliative care is not meant to replace or cure any disease or condition. It may be provided in addition to other treatments for patients who have advanced cancer, chronic pain conditions such as neuropathic pain (pain caused by nerve damage), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), or other serious illnesses.

Palliative care is not an alternative to curative (cancer treatment) or preventive medicine; it is a complement to both types of care and may be provided in conjunction with them. Palliative Care also does not replace the need for end-of-life planning by patients and their families, either before they are diagnosed with cancer or any other life-threatening illness that may require life-sustaining treatment. However, it can help relieve suffering and improve the quality of life for people with serious illnesses who are nearing the end of their lives.

Palliative care is an important part of cancer care because patients may have a wide range of symptoms or concerns that affect their ability to cope with cancer’s side effects, its progression, pain management issues, and other aspects related to living through this disease. It is also important for patients to receive education about the disease and its treatment options, including palliative care.

Palliative care is provided by a team of health professionals who work together with people living with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. The team includes oncologists (cancer specialists), nurses, social workers, psychologists, and others whose job is to provide compassionate support in order to help ease physical pain; improve quality of life; and relieve emotional and spiritual distress.

Palliative care is not a substitute for curative or preventive medicine but complements it by providing support to improve the quality of life. For example, people with cancer may have concerns about their treatment options (e.g., chemotherapy), side effects from these treatments (e.g., nausea), or other issues related to living with this disease process—including pain management, fatigue, depression, and loss of autonomy.

Palliative care can also offer emotional support to patients and their families who are dealing with the distress of a serious illness, loss, or other difficult situation in life. Palliative care is not intended to address every aspect of cancer treatment, but rather focuses on helping people live better lives through symptom management, pain relief, and other supportive services. It may be offered by any number of different health professionals working together as part of the team

What are the benefits of palliative care?

Palliative care is a treatment that helps improve the quality of life for individuals living with advanced illnesses. Palliative care focuses on minimizing symptoms and improving the patient's sense of well-being. The goal is to provide relief from pain, spasms, constipation, nausea, or discomfort caused by continual coughing, breathing difficulties, or other physical challenges. A lot of people think that palliative care is not as beneficial as curative treatments. However, palliative care can be very beneficial, even if the person is not going to be cured of their disease. Palliative care can ease symptoms of a terminal illness and help give back some sense of control or quality of life. It can also provide a sense of normalcy for those who have been diagnosed with a severe illness.

Palliative care is a way to alleviate the suffering of a person who is actively dying. Palliative care is a broad-spectrum approach that may include different treatments, interventions, and social services for these people. It can be beneficial because it helps with pain and other symptoms, improves the quality of life, and promotes engagement with family and friends.

How does palliative care differ from hospice care?

Hospice care is a type of end-of-life care often recommended for terminally ill patients. Palliative care, on the other hand, provides relief from pain and other symptoms while also helping with emotional and spiritual needs. It can be provided for any patient, regardless of their illness or prognosis. Hospice care provides a range of services to people who are terminally ill, including medical and emotional support. Hospice care is a form of end-of-life care that focuses on providing a patient with relief from their symptoms and addressing the spiritual, emotional, and social needs of both the patient and his or her family. Palliative care is a type of medical care focused on providing relief from pain, symptoms, stress, and other discomforts of serious illness or injury. Hospice care may or may not offer palliative care. Medicare has special rules for hospice care and special payments for hospice care...

Palliative care is often provided to patients facing terminal illness or chronic, debilitating illness. Hospice care on the other hand is more focused on providing pain management and emotional support for those who are nearing death.

How does palliative care differ from End of Life Care?

Palliative care improves the quality of life by reducing symptoms (physical, emotional, and spiritual) related to the terminal stage of cancer or another serious illness. Palliative care is distinct from end-of-life care (palliative end-of-life care). While both are concerned with helping patients who are near the end of life, palliative care helps patients manage symptoms to improve their quality of life. End-of-life care is designed to relieve physical pain and other symptoms so the patient can spend his or her remaining time as comfortably as possible. However, inadequate pain management is a common problem in the last year of life. Patients, families, and physicians may be unaware of the patient's response to pain, which has been described as a "silent crisis.

Patients who are receiving palliative care are not expected to live any longer than patients who are not receiving these services. But they can live better lives—lessening their pain, anxiety, and other symptoms so they can have more comfort and enjoyment in whatever time is left.

How do you know if you need palliative care?

You or your doctor may suspect that you or someone you love is in need of palliative care, based on symptoms that require attention and concern. For example, if you are experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, pain, nausea, appetite loss, depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment (difficulty thinking clearly), difficulty communicating with your doctor or family members about these symptoms, or about other aspects related to cancer treatment choices or the course of the disease itself. Palliative care is also offered by your doctor to help manage symptoms of nerve damage caused by disease (e.g., neuropathic pain) and conditions such as AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

How do you find a palliative care team?

The best place to start if you or someone you know needs palliative care is to see your primary care clinician, who can help direct you to a team of healthcare providers skilled in this area of medicine. Palliative care teams are sometimes available in hospitals, hospices, or at-home treatments centers. Some have their own on-site clinics or satellite offices. Others may informally refer patients to specialists in other areas of care who can provide palliative care services.

Is this for me?

Palliative care is for you if your doctor suspects that your life expectancy may be six months or less, and you experience symptoms that could be relieved with this type of care. There are no age limitations for palliative care. People who are high-functioning (e.g., cognitively and emotionally stable) and who have the ability to communicate with their healthcare team are more likely to benefit from palliative care.

However, palliative care may not be the best option for you if your palliative care team determines that your life expectancy is six months or longer and you feel adequately supported by other types of treatment. For example, if you’re receiving curative cancer treatment and having adequate relief from its side effects, or if you’re receiving good relief from symptom management techniques such as pain medications, physical therapy, antidepressant medications (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline), or psychological support (e.g., psychotherapy).

About 50 percent of patients with cancer suffer from side effects related to cancer or its treatment. Many patients also develop secondary health issues that may be linked to cancer or its treatment, such as heart disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, or anxiety. For these reasons, palliative care services are most often provided at the same time as curative treatments for cancer or other serious illnesses.

Palliative care is not just for patients at the end of life, but also for those with serious illnesses who may be receiving treatment that allows them to live longer than they would otherwise. According to the American Hospice Foundation, more than 60 percent of people who receive palliative care live for at least three months after their diagnosis. While most of these people will die of their illness or its complications, some will remain free of active disease longer than they would have if not receiving hospice services.

The term "palliative" comes from two Latin words: "pallium" (cloak) and "-tivum" (making). The term literally means "to cloak or cover.” Palliative care is sometimes called "comfort care," "end-of-life care," or "durable care."

In conclusion, Palliative medicine has been defined as “the medical management of patients with a life expectancy of less than six months.” It can be used in a way to improve the quality of life for seriously ill people, including cancer patients and HIV patients. However, not all seriously ill adults need palliative care to live a full and satisfying life. Although seriously ill people may want to know about it, it should not be offered before an individual is terminally ill.

The term "palliative care" is commonly used to refer to specialized medical and psychosocial services provided to seriously and/or terminally ill patients and their families. It is a holistic approach that: 1) uses a multidisciplinary approach to care, 2) takes into account the psychosocial, spiritual, and existential dimensions of human experience, 3) focuses on quality of life, and 4) ensures that the needs of the patient and family are met.

Palliative care is indicated for palliative symptom management. Not everyone with a life-threatening illness has the same goals for treatment; not everyone follows the same treatment plan; not everyone receives the full range of treatments available. Palliative care can be delivered in many settings (inpatient, outpatient, clinical practice) and can be planned or impromptu (such as telephone consultation).