When a loved one begins to lose their quality of life due to injury or illness, it can be a difficult journey to experience. Those with a serious illness can find themselves unable to accomplish basic daily tasks, leave home for social interactions, or move freely around their home. Doctors can diagnose the problem and provide treatment options like surgery or medication, but that does little to improve the day-to-day quality of life for someone suffering from a debilitating illness. That’s why palliative care exists.
Palliative care is a specific type of healthcare focused on offering relief from the symptoms and stresses that people living with a serious illness can experience. Some people may associate palliative care with end-of-life care, but that is not necessarily the case. The field’s focus on comfort care and improving the patients’ quality of life makes it an effective care method for people of any age.
How Is Palliative Care Different from Hospice Care?
Confusing palliative care with end-of-life or hospice care is a common, yet understandable, mistake. The goals of palliative care and hospice care are similar, but the scenarios in which they are applied are quite different.
Palliative care is comfort care that may or may not have curative intent regardless of the patient’s prognosis. It is intended to provide compassionate comfort care to increase the quality of life for those who suffer from a serious or life-limiting illness or injury. For example, a 20-year old who can no longer perform basic daily tasks due to injuries from a car accident can receive palliative care.
On the other hand, hospice care is designed to accomplish much of the same in terms of comfort care but is reserved for individuals facing a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less.
When Does A Patient Need Palliative Care?
A patient generally needs palliative care when they have a limited ability to take care of themselves. Comfort care can be given to people of any age but is most commonly given to older people who have been diagnosed with a serious illness. Typical illnesses that will require patients to get palliative care include:
- Advanced Movement Disorders (ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, Ataxia etc.)
- Cancer
- Dementia
- Injuries
What Does Palliative Care Involve?
Palliative care is particularly effective thanks in part to its personalized nature. The best comfort care services will perform an evaluation or interview with each patient and their loved ones to determine the exact care that they need. Support workers are trained to help patients accomplish daily tasks like:
- Eating
- Bathing
- Grooming
- Dressing
- Toileting
- Assisting clients with limited mobility to change positions or move around
- Medication reminders
If the patient is still living at home, support workers can also help with household tasks like laundry, meal preparation, and light housekeeping.
Remember, not all palliative care involves everything listed above. It is up to the patient, palliative care provider, and sometimes the patient’s loved ones to decide which services are needed for any individual scenario.
Finding the Right Palliative Care
If you or a loved one is suffering from a serious illness or injury, palliative care can be an effective short-term or long-term method for improving quality of life. To find out more about palliative care services in your area, the best place to start could be by asking your doctor. Often, palliative care teams will contact the patients’ doctors continuously to make sure they are receiving the proper care and keep the doctor updated with the patient’s status. That means doctors will usually know which comfort care providers will be best for you or your loved one, and they can give you a recommendation.