Palliative Care
What is Palliative care?
It is probably best described as:
As an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with a life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment.
A description of Palliative care
Relatives and Patients panic when they hear “palliative care” and think it means they are dying.
Palliative does not mean a person is necessarily mean a person is dying, it is not only for people who are terminally ill, and it is not the same as hospice care.
Palliative care should be part of the treatment plan from the time of diagnosis of an illness through end of life and hospice care.
How long does Palliative care last?
It is beneficial at any age and at any stage of illness.
This differs from hospice care. Hospice is specifically for anyone who has been diagnosed with six months or less to live. Palliative care is solutions for pain, symptoms, and stress of serious illness, or the treatments to cure and/or manage it.
Can people recover from Palliative care?
Yes, some patients recover and move out of palliative care. Others with chronic diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, may move in and out of palliative care as the need arises. If the cure of a life-threatening disease proves elusive, palliative care can improve the quality of patients’ lives
The difference between Palliative care and Hospice care
Both palliative care and hospice care provide comfort. But palliative care can begin at diagnosis, and at the same time as treatment. Hospice care begins after treatment of the disease is stopped and when it is clear that the person is not going to survive the illness.
