Palliative care is an approach to care that focuses on pain and other physical, social and emotional needs of patients with serious illnesses. It’s a specialised type of medicine that people with advanced illnesses may need at some point during their journey with cancer or another life-threatening disease. Before you right jump into it, here are Questions to Ask the Palliative Care Team for a better understanding of the service you are about to get.
- How is palliative care different from hospice?
Palliative care is a team approach to treating pain and other symptoms, while hospice provides specialised palliative care.
Hospice focuses on comfort care, which means that the patient may receive medication to manage pain but not for any curative purpose. The goal of hospice care is symptom control and quality of life for patients with terminal illnesses or other serious illnesses. If you are ready to stop treatment and focus on making your remaining time as comfortable as possible, hospice may be right for you.
- Can palliative care help me with my symptoms?
If you’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness, it’s likely that your symptoms are interfering with your quality of life. Palliative care focuses on improving the patient’s quality of life and decreasing their physical, emotional and spiritual distress.
Palliative care can be helpful for any symptom you are experiencing related to your illness. It may help improve your pain management or reduce nausea caused by medications. It might also help manage fatigue, depression or anxiety if these symptoms occur in addition to other conditions such as cancer.
If you’re new to palliative care and want to learn more about the Questions to Ask Palliative Care Team, keep reading this article!
How will I know if palliative care is right for me?
Palliative care provides supportive, personalised care to people with serious illnesses. It is designed to focus on the quality of life for patients and their families.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a serious illness, there may be some questions that you need to be answered about how palliative care can be helpful. For example:
- Will I live longer? The goal of palliative care is not to cure the disease but to improve your quality of life and give you as many good days as possible in the time that remains. In many cases, this can help patients live longer than they would without it—even if it does not change the outcome of the illness itself.
- Will my symptoms get worse? Palliative medicines and other treatments can help reduce pain and discomfort caused by diseases like cancer or heart failure; they also allow patients more freedom so they can spend time doing things they enjoy with family members or friends instead of focusing solely on their symptoms during every waking moment (which often leads to depression).
- When should I consider starting palliative care?
When you are diagnosed with a terminal illness, you should ask your doctor whether palliative care is right for you. Palliative care can be provided at any point in your life and at any stage of your illness. It is also appropriate if you have a chronic or long-term condition that brings with it symptoms that may not get better over time or cannot be cured.
Asking this question can lead to a better understanding of how to manage your medical condition so that it doesn’t interfere with other aspects of life such as work, school or relationships.
- Palliative care can help you overcome many of the uncomfortable symptoms you experience during your illness.
Palliative care is a specialised type of care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on the relief of symptoms and stress for patients and their families.
Palliative care doctors, nurses and other health professionals work with patients to help them live as well as possible despite their illness. This can involve providing emotional support and practical assistance to help you deal with problems like pain, depression or anxiety. Palliative care can also help you prepare for the end of your life by talking about your goals for treatment and looking at ways to improve your quality of life.
Conclusion
Palliative care is a great option if you’re ready to take control of your health. It can provide compassionate care that helps you live life to the fullest without worrying about side effects or other complications that may come with traditional treatments. These are the Questions to Ask Palliative Care Team before finalising anything.
