Families often struggle with the need to be sure everything has been
done that can be done their terminally ill loved one. It can be
very difficult for the patient and family members as they transition
from making decisions toward cure to making decisions that will
help to allow for a comfortable and peaceful death.
When
a terminally ill person and/or their loved ones make the decision to
discontinue curative treatments and move instead into comfort care in
preparation for approaching death, there are several matters which must
be considered.
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative
is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing
the severity of symptoms rather than curing the disease. The goal
of palliative care is to relieve suffering and improve quality of life
for those who are experiencing serious, complex and terminal illness.
This
can include alternative or energy work such as massage or
aromatherapy which may alleviate the side effects of the curative
treatments. One example is methods of relieving the nausea associated
with chemotherapy.
Over
the past twenty years, the focus on a patient's quality of life has
gained substantial ground. Today in the United States, 55% of U.S.
hospitals with over 100 beds offer a palliative care program and nearly
one-fifth of community hospitals have palliative care programs. A
relatively recent development is the concept of a dedicated health care
team that is entirely geared toward palliative treatment, called a
palliative care team.
There
is often confusion between the terms hospice and palliative care. In the
United States, hospice services and palliative care programs share
similar goals of providing symptom relief and pain management.
However,
the most important distinction between hospice and palliative care
programs in the United States is that hospice is a Medicare Part A
benefit, thus requiring many aspects of hospice care such as enrollment
to be regulated by the United States federal government.
Non-hospice
palliative care, however, is appropriate for anyone with a serious,
complex illness, whether they are expected to recover fully, to live
with chronic illness for an extended time, or to experience disease
progression.
As
death becomes more imminent, attempts to cure the disease taper off,
while palliative care measures increase.
If
you would like to read more about caring for terminally ill or aging
loved ones I encourage you to visit
my blog.
You will find a wealth of information and supportive words to help you
through this difficult and important time.
