How Palliative Care Helps
Many people and their families associate the term palliative care with the end of life. Some may think that palliative care and hospice care are one and the same. So it’s worth explaining that palliative care is a medical speciality able to help people during many different stages of health, not just during a terminal illness. Importantly, the services offered could help you or someone you love enjoy a better quality of life, ease uncomfortable symptoms, and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
As medical oncologists (cancer doctors), we’ve witnessed how helpful this care can be when people experience cancer or another serious illness. Yet we find that not enough people who could benefit from this care receive it. By addressing misconceptions about what palliative care is and who it can help, we hope more people will ask for the full range of care they deserve, and inquire about whether a referral to palliative care is right for them.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care looks holistically at ways to improve the quality of life for people and caregivers by
- helping people manage pain, nausea, fatigue, and other troubling symptoms associated with illness or treatment, to optimize their comfort and ability to function
- providing support for depression, anxiety, or stressors such as finances or relationships that may be affected by a serious illness
- improving care coordination by communicating with other health care providers to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding needs and preferences
- if appropriate, explaining and providing options for end-of-life care (this form of palliative care is part of hospice care).
In many healthcare settings, palliative care is handled by one or a few healthcare providers, such as a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner. In others, palliative care may be provided by a team of clinicians and social workers, spiritual counsellors, and case managers.
People sometimes think of palliative care as a last resort; you might have heard this, or even thought this way yourself. It may help to know that the type of care we’re describing is now recognized as essential to treatment, even during the early stages of serious illnesses like cancer, emphysema, heart failure, and kidney disease. People can and should receive palliative care while also receiving curative or life-prolonging treatments.
Why is my doctor talking to me about palliative care?
You might feel alarmed if your doctor recommends palliative care. However, it’s important to understand that the benefits of palliative care are greatest when introduced early after a new diagnosis of a serious illness, pain syndrome, or physical trauma. In our practice, we tend to explain the concept of palliative care soon after a cancer diagnosis for people who may benefit from additional support.
Our goal is to offer information on the resources available to support well-being, not to take away hope or scare people. The better you feel, the better you’ll do. Experiencing less pain, nausea, fatigue, or depression makes medical treatments and surgeries easier to tolerate, which may expand both the quality and quantity of life. the reason your doctor is talking about palliative care is to enhance support for people experiencing tough times and serious illnesses, not when “there’s nothing left to do.”
Read the full article at https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/palliative-care-frightens-some-people-heres-how-it-helps-202209142817