Palliative Care Explained — Comfort, Clarity, and Support at Every Stage

When it comes to differentiating between palliative care and hospice care, people are often left confused. The two services are alike in many ways, yet different from each other. However, it is important to understand the difference between the two to make an informed healthcare decision.

• What is Palliative Care?

  Palliative care is a program that aims at easing pain and helps the patient living with serious illness improve their symptoms. Palliative care does not replace curative treatment. Rather, it is offered in addition to a curative treatment to help the patient deal with the side effects of the treatment such as nerve pain, nausea or shortness of breath.

  If the medical condition is making it difficult for the patient to get around, indulge in activities of daily living or is causing depression, palliative care can address that too. Patients who chose palliative care feel more in control of their lives.

  Palliative care helps a patient live an active life.

• What is Hospice Care?

  Hospice care is defined as compassionate comfort care for patients who have six months or less to live owing to their medical condition. Hospice care focus on easing pain and helping families prepare for the patient’s end-of-life.

  For a person to be eligible for hospice, two physicians must certify that the patient has six months or less to live if the disease follows its usual course. Hospice care not only involves experienced doctors and medical professionals but also includes family members who work as the primary caregiver.

While both palliative care and hospice care focus on helping a patient live as comfortable as possible, the goals and the prognosis of care tend to be different.

People often confuse hospice care and palliative care because everything within hospice is palliative, but not everything palliative is hospice.

Hospice care costs are paid completely by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance and there is not out-of-pocket cost involved for the patient. Medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, nursing, chaplain visits, 24/7 access to care and other services are covered under Medicare benefit.

On the other hand, palliative care cost, from prescription charges to office visits, can vary. It is important to check with your health care provider to find out what is covered and what is not covered. While some types of palliative care may be covered by Medicare Part B, the patient may be required to co-pay for some treatments.

Palliative Care and Hospice Care Does Not Mean Giving Up. It Is More About Living Comfortably

It can be distressing to see your loved ones dealing with a terminal illness such as heart failure, cancer, kidney failure or lung disease. Do they have to be hospitalized to treat pain, insomnia, and shortness of breath or other symptoms? Are the numerous trips to the ER taking a toll on your health too? Want to make sure your loved ones are comfortable while receiving curative treatment to deal with their illness?

Palliative care can help them stay safe and comfortable at home.

Inspiration Hospice allows you to stay in a place you feel most comfortable, surrounded by people and memories you love the most. By having 24/7 access to an experienced palliative care professional, you have expert support whenever you need it.

Whether you are looking for a visiting carer or a full-time carer, visit us to learn more about our range of palliative care services. Our professionals cover you for all aspects including administering medicines, personal care, companionship, pain management and more.

Having an extra layer of support at home can make a huge difference in the life quality of the patient and the family caregiver. Palliative care specialists help the patient and his family understand the disease and available treatment options while offering ways to treat pain and other associated symptoms.

A patient can choose palliative care at the same time as curative care for disease management.

Palliative care is a combination of medication, counseling, and therapies specifically curated to the patient’s needs. Palliative care focuses on the overall well-being of the patient.

Here are a few reasons why you should choose Palliative Care Services At Home

• Improves Patient’s Quality Of Life

  Patients who seek palliative care see an improvement in their quality of life. The strategy behind palliative care is to gather information and use the necessary resource to help people deal with their pains and other symptoms.

  A team of expert doctors, nurses, nutritionists, rehab specialists, pharmacists, social workers, volunteers, and chaplains work together to help patients and families deal with complex medical choices and reach their goals. They provide counseling, community resources, and support to reduce patient and caregiver stress.

• Help Reduce Depression

  Palliative care is a relatively new field and is often confused with hospice care or is often associated with cancer patients. However, palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with serious illness, not always cancer.

  The support focuses on improving the patient’s quality of life while relieving him from the symptoms, stress, and pain of the illness. People living with serious illness wants to feel better and get relief from pain.

  For people living with a terminal illness, pain can make them slip into depression and feel worthless. When patients are more likely to feel better about their health and pain, they are able to fight depression.

• Patients Spend Less Time in Hospital

  The goal of palliative care is to help terminally ill patients receive care and support in the comfort of their homes. This helps minimize hospital stays. The less time a patient spends rushing to the ER or staying in the hospital, the better overall quality of life he can enjoy.

  Palliative care specialists provide highly-skilled, compassionate care and help make a difference in a patient’s life. Palliative care is all about living as fully and comfortably as possible despite a life-limiting illness.

  The palliative care team collaborates with the patient’s doctor to ensure the care is well-coordinated.

A study confirmed that patients who choose palliative care early during their treatment can enjoy an improved quality of life.

If you or your aging loved ones are living with a serious illness and struggling with pain, stress, depression, anxiety or other symptoms, the palliative care team can help provide relief while improving the quality of life.

Palliative care medicine is a multi-disciplinary specialty where a group of experienced physicians, allied health care professionals, registered nurses and other specialists work together with the patient’s primary doctor to relieve the patient’s suffering and pain. Palliative care experts not only help address physical issues, rather they help the patient deal with emotional, social, psychological and spiritual stressors.

Palliative care can be started when a patient is diagnosed with a serious illness. There are plenty of benefits of choosing palliative care. Some of them are:

• Improved Quality of Life

  The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for a patient who is living with a serious illness. It includes managing symptoms, providing psychosocial support, and establishing goals of care throughout the patient’s curative treatment journey.

• Feel Better

  Palliative care help patients connect with activities that love. The palliative care team of experts help a patient cope up with the psychological and spiritual aspect of living with a serious illness.

• Improved Mood

  Palliative care aims at managing your overall condition. Palliative care makes it easier for the patient and his family to ease their concerns and cope with the situation. Counseling with mental health therapists makes it easier to look at the bright side and ease mental stress.

A diagnosis of serious illness is never easy for the patient or his loved ones. However, having expert professionals by your side can make things easier.

Palliative care is tailored to suit the patient’s circumstances and align with the patient’s goals. You can choose to receive palliative care in your home up till the very end. At Inspiration Hospice, our approach is to provide the right kind of care at the right time in the right way.