**What is Included in Palliative Care?**
**Understanding Palliative Care:**
Palliative care begins right when someone is diagnosed with an illness. It focuses on managing symptoms, helping patients cope, and easing the strain on families. If you’re uncertain about what palliative care involves, here’s a breakdown of its key aspects.
**Patient Care and Quality of Life:**
Palliative care is crucial for patients who might have longer life spans but are currently overwhelmed by their symptoms. This type of care manages medications, daily living assistance, and other necessary support, allowing patients to live with less pain and fear. It aims to help them heal and manage their symptoms effectively.
**Support for Families:**
Families often step in to care for their sick loved ones, but it’s not always easy or sufficient. Palliative care can provide a range of support, from live-in caregivers to daily helpers, ensuring the patient gets proper attention while allowing them to stay home. This support also helps relieve some of the burden from the family.
**Beyond Symptom Relief:**
Palliative care does more than just address physical discomfort. It includes physical and mental therapy, offering patients a sense of independence and normalcy. The option for palliative hospice care is available if needed, making it a comprehensive approach to patient care.
**Collaboration with Medical Professionals:**
While families want the best for their loved ones, they may not always be able to provide the necessary care. Palliative care involves a team of doctors, nurses, therapists, and other medical professionals. They ensure medications are correctly administered and every aspect of the patient’s care is meticulously planned.
**Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care:**
Though palliative and hospice care can overlap, they are different. Hospice care is for patients with a shorter life expectancy, typically six to seven months. Palliative care, however, is for patients at any stage of illness, including those who are expected to recover. It aims to manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
In essence, palliative care doesn’t cure illnesses, but it helps manage the symptoms effectively. This approach helps patients navigate their illness or injury, aiming to improve their overall well-being and readiness to face future challenges.