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HOSPICE CARE FOCUSES ON QUALITY OF LIFE
November 27, 2017
Palliative care focuses on relieving pain and other symptoms, not on trying to find a cure when there isn’t one. It is a combination of counseling, medications, and therapies that are individualized to each patient’s needs. Palliative care focuses on the overall well-being of the patient.
1. Helps Patients Have Less Depression
Palliative care is not always associated with terminal illnesses or hospice care. Palliative care is a relatively new field of care and it is sometimes misunderstood. The first order of business for a patient on palliative care is to have relief from pain and other symptoms that plague those with serious illnesses. The main desire of palliative care is to help people feel better. Pain can be a depressing fact of life for many people with serious illnesses, along with a host of other symptoms. When those factors are reduced or alleviated, the patient is more likely to feel better and be more able to fight depression.
2. Gives Patients a Better Quality of Life
Palliative care seeks to make life better for those with chronic pain and/or terminal illnesses. The strategy behind palliative medicine is to gather information from many resources, including those doctors and nurses who specialize in pain and pain management, nutritionists, pharmacists, rehab specialists, chaplains, and social workers. It can help patients and families sort through the coordination of complex medical choices and help clarify the goals at hand. It also offers counseling, support, and provides community resources to reduce patient and caregiver stress.
3. Patients Spend Less Time in a Hospital
The goal of hospice is for a terminally ill patient to be able to receive care and support at home, minimizing austere hospital stays. The less time spent in a hospital, the better overall quality of life the patient and family members can enjoy at home. The overall goal of palliative care is improving a patient’s quality of life.
More palliative care options are being offered as their benefits are being seen and proven time and again. Not all doctors are onboard yet, but palliative care is rapidly making in-roads into the field of medicine.
