Living with a life-threatening, progressive, or incurable illness can present many challenges for patients and their families. Palliative care is a team approach to medicine focused on preventing or relieving pain and other physical, emotional, and spiritual distress that can accompany a serious illness. It draws on a range of resources and professional expertise and is designed to work in partnership with the patient’s primary treating physician to ensure complete, well-coordinated care.
Palliative care can be provided at any stage of an illness or treatment, regardless of a patient’s life expectancy. Accessing it as early as possible—even upon diagnosis of the condition—can help patients avoid, reduce, or better prepare for difficulties that may result.
PALLIATIVE SERVICES
Palliative care services at CentraState Medical Center are coordinated by a dedicated palliative care nurse and are designed to optimize quality of life for patients and their families. They include:
- Pain and symptom management to achieve maximum patient comfort
- Therapy to maintain and improve the ability to perform tasks of daily living
- Emotional and spiritual support for patients and their caregivers
- Education and support groups to empower patients and their families
- Complementary therapies to help ease stress and enhance comfort
- Guidance on insurance verification and approval
- Help with hospital discharge planning, including information about options, recommendations for ongoing care that enhances quality of life, coordination of care, and communication of needs and goals to chosen providers
- Assistance with end-of-life planning and decision-making
- Help with transitioning to hospice, if appropriate
PALLIATIVE CARE VS HOSPICE
While both palliative and hospice care focus on patient comfort, there are distinct differences. The biggest difference is the intent of treatment. While all hospice is palliative care, not all palliative care is hospice.
Palliative Care
- Palliative care is based on patient and family needs, not prognosis. It is provided with disease treatment.
- Palliative care is appropriate at any stage of serious illness.
Hospice
- Based on a prognosis and life expectancy of less than or equal to 6 months.
- Patients agree to give up insurance coverage.
- Must forego curative care.
