Understanding Palliative Care
- Posted by:
- Admin
- Tags:
- Palliative Care, End Of Life Care, Quality of Life, Diseases, Home Care
- Posted date:
- 25-10-2024
Our guide to "Understanding Palliative Care" explains the purpose and benefits of palliative care for those with serious illnesses.
Palliative care is a specialised healthcare approach designed to improve the quality of life for individuals with serious illnesses. This article explores what palliative care entails, its benefits, and how it provides comprehensive support to patients and their families throughout their medical journey.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a specialised area of healthcare, designed to alleviate suffering and enhance the quality of life for people grappling with severe, frequently life-threatening, diseases.
This form of care is predominantly provided by a diverse team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and a variety of other healthcare specialists. Unlike other forms of care, palliative care can be provided at any point throughout an illness, not just towards the end; it can also coexist with other therapies that focus on curing the disease.
The main objective of palliative care is to help control pain and signs of illness while also addressing the physical, psychological, social, and emotional needs of the patient. The main aim is to provide support that enhances the person’s overall well-being during a challenging period.
Palliative care is tailored to each person's needs and provides a layer of support, ensuring the patient's comfort, as well as providing counselling regarding difficult medical decisions, and helping coordinate care. Whether it's helping manage symptoms, helping with emotional regulation, or addressing questions, palliative care aims to be as inclusive as possible to maximise the patient's quality of life. It's a compassionate approach that puts the patient's needs and well-being at the centre of attention.
What Does Palliative Care Do?
Palliative care is designed to provide comprehensive support to individuals facing serious illnesses. By addressing a wide range of needs, this type of care enhances the overall well-being of patients and their families. Here’s how palliative care makes a significant difference:
- Improves Comfort and Quality of Life: Palliative care enhances the comfort and quality of life for patients and their loved ones by focusing on reducing physical pain and psychological distress.
- Pain Management and Symptom Control: It aims to alleviate distressing symptoms such as difficulty breathing, sleep issues, exhaustion, anxiety, and depression through effective pain management and symptom control.
- Holistic Well-being: The primary goal is to ensure patients can lead fulfilling lives despite serious health conditions, addressing their overall well-being.
- Emotional and Psychological Support: Palliative care extends beyond physical health to address emotional and psychological challenges that patients might experience.
- Comprehensive Care: It provides emotional care and practical social support, ensuring a comprehensive approach to meet various needs.
- Support for Terminal Illnesses: Palliative care plays a crucial role in handling terminal illnesses by customizing support, educating about the condition, and coordinating care services.
- Support System for Caregivers: It serves as a strong support system for both patients and caregivers, offering respite services to prevent caregiver burnout.
- Bereavement Support: Palliative care extends to families during bereavement, offering much-needed support to navigate through tough times and ensuring they do not face challenges alone.
- Enhanced Care Management: Overall, palliative care is invaluable in facilitating better care management, enhancing the quality of life for individuals with serious illnesses, their families, and caregivers.
Does Palliative Care Mean End Of Life Care?
When people hear the term 'palliative care', they often link it with end-of-life care. However, it's crucial to clarify that even though they share several characteristics, the two aren't identical. End-of-life care is a form of palliative care, but it doesn't make up the entirety of it; while end-of-life care focuses on providing comfort and support during the last phases of a life-threatening disease, palliative care possesses a broader definition.
Palliative care can be used at any stage of a serious illness, not just the terminal phase - palliative care can co-exist with treatment plans intended to cure or manage diseases. The purpose of palliative care is to deal with the symptoms and adverse effects of illness from the onset.
Palliative aims to uphold the patient's quality of life for as long as possible and can be adapted according to the severity of the condition; as the disease progresses and patients reach their final stages of life, palliative care remains a critical service. Palliative care can also be used to help families with the impending death of their loved ones; the care provides support to help both the patients and their families adapt to the inevitable, handle the bereavement process, and come to terms with the loss.
How Do You Receive Palliative Care?
The process of receiving palliative care typically begins with an open conversation where the need for care is identified - this conversation could be initiated by patients themselves, their family members, or even doctors who recognise the need for this type of care.
After the initial discussion, a formal referral can be made to a specialised palliative care team; this can be administered in various settings, including a hospital, a nursing home, or even the comfort of the patient's own home. Palliative care is an inclusive practice that brings together a team of skilled healthcare professionals who collaborate with the patient's existing doctors to provide an additional layer of support.
Once involved, the palliative care team devises a comprehensive care plan that is personalised to the individual patient's needs; their main goal is to ensure the patient's comfort by effectively managing their symptoms and any side effects that arise from their treatment. In sum, receiving palliative care involves a multidisciplinary approach centred on delivering the best possible care for the patient.
What Types Of Diseases Is Palliative Care For?
Palliative care is an essential part of healthcare aimed at alleviating suffering and enhancing the quality of life for people grappling with debilitating illnesses. This type of care isn't reserved for any specific disease or condition; instead, it applies to a broad range of serious diseases that drastically hinder a person's lifestyle. Here are some of the conditions that may benefit from palliative care:
- Heart and Lung Diseases: Conditions like heart disease and chronic lung diseases frequently cause significant discomfort and anguish, requiring palliative care to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
- Cancer: Many cancer patients experience considerable pain and other symptoms that palliative care can help alleviate, making their journey more bearable.
- Progressive Neurological Diseases: Diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's place immense burdens on daily life, presenting escalating symptoms that are emotionally and physically challenging. Palliative care provides much-needed relief.
- Chronic Conditions: Chronic illnesses like kidney disease and diabetes demand long-term management and often lead to consistent discomfort. Palliative care helps manage these symptoms when they significantly disrupt a patient's lifestyle.
- Elderly Individuals and Terminal Illnesses: Elderly individuals and those diagnosed with terminal illnesses often have complex medical and support needs. Palliative care is beneficial in addressing these requirements comprehensively.
- Symptom Management and Support Services: The main aim of palliative care is to enhance the patient's quality of life through effective symptom management and support services, ensuring comfort and making their journey with illness as comfortable as possible.
Our compassionate specialist caregivers provide palliative care in the comfort of your home. Companions Home Care offers personalised assistance and support for your loved ones with diverse care requirements. Get in touch with us today to explore our end of life domiciliary care services available in London.