Learn More About Hospice Care and Palliative Care for Any Stage of Life
Almost 13 million people in the U.S. live with serious illnesses that cause pain and other symptoms. We understand that dealing with the symptoms of a serious illness, like pain, exhaustion and anxiety, can impact quality of life and make it hard to enjoy. It often creates difficult decisions and causes distress for the patient, their family and caregivers.
Quality-of-life care, including hospice care, is available for patients with a life-threatening illness.
Our palliative medicine and hospice specialists focus on getting to know your values and preferences to give individualized care. We provide holistic care for the patient’s physical illness as well as spiritual, social and emotional well-being for the patient and their family.
Palliative care is appropriate for patients receiving curative and life-prolonging treatment, from the time of diagnosis through the end of life.
Palliative care is a specialized branch of medicine that focuses on relieving pain from serious illness, such as cancer. Regardless of age or the progress of your disease, you can receive palliative care. The goal of this type of care is to improve quality of life for patients. A trained palliative care team provides a range of services and includes physicians, nurses, chaplains, social workers and other specialists.
Palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach to symptom management for people with serious medical conditions, including:
This type of supportive care focuses on relieving the symptoms of illness, including pain. Palliative care can begin at any time, including the point of diagnosis, or it may not start until the illness has progressed. Palliative care can happen alongside treatment for the condition.
Palliative Services Include:
Myth: Palliative care is only for end-of-life patients.
Fact: Palliative care is available for anyone of any age and any disease state.
Myth: Choosing palliative care means giving up hope.
Fact: Palliative care seeks to improve quality of life while you are being treated. It does not necessarily mean you are close to the end of life. Some patients recover and no longer need palliative care.
Myth: It’s only for cancer patients.
Fact: While cancer patients can benefit from a palliative care program, many conditions’ symptoms can be relieved, including those from ALS, MS, heart or lung disease, or other conditions.
Myth: It’s the same thing as hospice.
Fact: Palliative care is an umbrella term that covers pain and quality of life during the course of a disease. Hospice refers specifically to end-of-life care, when the patient has a terminal illness.
First, talk to your (or your loved one’s) primary care provider. They will refer you to the appropriate palliative care services. You can maintain a relationship with all your usual doctors and specialists, even if you are receiving palliative care services.
Palliative care is usually given in a hospital, nursing home or other clinical setting. Your supportive care team may include:
A chronic or serious illness impacts the patient as well as their family and friends. They see the patient’s struggles with the illness, including pain and other unpleasant symptoms. A caregiver may be called on to make difficult decisions with or for the patient. These people may be called “hidden patients,” because while they don’t experience the illness itself, they are part of the treatment, healing and decision-making process all the same.
Family and friends are affected in many ways, including:
Both have similar goals: to ease pain and suffering. Hospice is usually recommended when a physician believes the patient has six months or less to live. The doctor may order “comfort care” for a patient already in the hospital or nursing home. That means treatment will no longer be pursued, and the ultimate goal is to relieve pain and suffering in the last months. Sometimes people do recover out of hospice.
Palliative care can be done at any point in the disease process. Pain and other symptoms may be tolerable at first, so the patient may choose not to use supportive care services. As time goes on, they may take advantage of services the health care provider can refer them to. Palliative care patients still undergo treatments for their illnesses.
Most health care plans cover palliative care services. Call your insurance company to see what is covered by your specific plan.
Your supportive care team will talk with you about your illness, pain and discomfort, living situation, and many other aspects of your life. A detailed and customized plan will be created based on your unique situation. The care team is with you every step of the way.