Palliative care is a specialised form of medical care that provides relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of serious illness. It is focused on providing patients with the highest quality of life in the face of a chronic or terminal illness, no matter what stage they are in. Palliative care is also known as comfort care, supportive care or symptom management.
What Does Palliative Care Involve?
Palliative care includes a multidisciplinary approach to treating physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of serious illnesses. This type of treatment involves working with healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers and other specialists to provide comprehensive care for the patient and their family. It focuses on improving quality of life by managing pain and other symptoms associated with an illness.
Palliative care can be provided at any stage during an illness and works alongside other treatments such as chemotherapy or surgery to provide extra support for the patient. It can also be offered after curative treatment has ended if needed.
Palliative care aims to address all areas of a person’s well-being including emotional and spiritual needs as well as physical symptoms associated with their condition. Treatment may involve medications to reduce pain, counselling from mental health professionals or referrals to hospice services for end-of-life care.
Who Can Benefit From Palliative Care?
Anyone living with a serious or terminal illness can benefit from palliative care regardless of age or diagnosis. This type of treatment is available in hospitals, nursing homes and even in patients’ homes if needed.
Patients can receive palliative care even if they are still undergoing curative treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy to help manage the side effects associated with those treatments. The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life by managing pain, providing comfort and offering support for both the patient and their family during this difficult time.
Palliative care is an important part of providing comprehensive medical treatment for those living with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease or chronic respiratory conditions. By focusing on relieving pain and stress while providing emotional support for both the patient and their family members throughout their journey, palliative care helps ensure that everyone involved receives compassionate holistic medical attention during this difficult time in their lives.
If you or someone you know could benefit from palliative care services, contact your local healthcare provider today to find out more information about how this type of specialized treatment can help improve your quality of life while managing physical symptoms associated with a serious illness.
