Navigating a serious illness can be challenging. Palliative care lessens the burden.
When you, or someone you care about, are diagnosed with a serious illness, it takes a massive toll on all aspects of your life. Navigating care options and figuring out your new normal can be overwhelming, and many are unsure how to find support — or if it’s even available. That’s where palliative care comes in.
Palliative care (which stems from the Latin word palliare, meaning “to cloak”) offers supportive care in many forms to lessen the burden and strain felt when you’re dealt a life-altering diagnosis. It acts as an additional layer of care to enhance your well-being alongside the current treatment plan that may already be underway.
Palliative care can be a good option if you are impacted by one of the following conditions: ALS, Alzheimer’s, cancer, chronic obstructive lung disease, heart disease, stroke, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, AIDs, cystic fibrosis, and diseases of the kidney, liver, or lungs.
Palliative Care Differs from Hospice
Palliative care and hospice are not interchangeable terms. Hospice focuses on end-of-life care, whereas palliative care aims to improve a person’s quality of life and alleviate stress at any stage of an illness.
Unlike hospice care, palliative care does not signify an end of treatment or a terminal diagnosis — in fact, it is often done in tandem with curative treatment. Palliative care can help relieve issues such as breathing difficulties, pain, nausea, anxiety, loss of appetite, depression, constipation, fatigue, and lifestyle stressors.
Palliative Care is Needs-Based
Palliative care varies depending on the available resources in your area and your or your loved one’s condition. A palliative care team may consist of medical professionals and specialists—such as doctors and nurses — who help with symptom management, as well as social workers, chaplains, and financial advisors.
The demands on your mind, body, finances, and relationships may be overwhelming, but a palliative care team helps with weighing treatment options and better understanding your condition, empowering you to address important decisions surrounding:
- Medical expenses: concerns around insurance coverage, Medicare plan, and financial planning for ongoing treatment
- Living arrangements: a person can receive palliative care in their home, a clinic or hospital, a nursing home, or other setting
- Legal documentation: setting up a power of attorney or creating a living will
Social support is another important component of palliative care. Because a serious illness can uproot your life, it often feels isolating. A palliative care team helps by connecting you with support groups, organizing and coordinating caregiving responsibilities, and seeking out community resources. Review your medical plan documents to see what palliative care options are covered by your plan.
Getting Started
There isn’t a set time when palliative care is offered, so you can seek out care early on (often once a diagnosis is received) to help plan for what is to come. The World Health Organization states, “early delivery of palliative care reduces unnecessary hospital admissions and the use of health services.”
Receiving care on your terms is of the utmost importance, and a palliative care team can communicate a patient’s preferences, goals, and wishes. Ask your provider for a referral, whether you are a candidate for palliative care, and what support resources are available to you.
Sources:
https://www.nhpco.org/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22850-palliative-care
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/palliative-care/about/pac-20384637
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/hospice-and-palliative-care/frequently-asked-questions-about-palliative-care
https://www.healthline.com/health/palliative-care
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/palliative-care