What is Palliative Care
What is Palliative Care?
While palliative care may seem to offer an incredibly broad range of services, the goals of palliative treatment are extremely concrete: relief from suffering, treatment of pain and other distressing symptoms, psychological and spiritual care, a support system to help the individual live as actively as possible, and a support system to sustain and rehabilitate the individual’s family
Better Care at the End of Life
Death and dying are not easy to deal with. Perhaps you or someone you love is facing an illness that cannot be cured. Few of us are really ready for the hard choices that may have to be made at the end of life. It can be hard for everyone involved the dying person, their family and loved ones, and health care providers, too.
But there are ways to ease pain and make life better for people who are dying and for their loved ones. It is called palliative care.
Palliative care means taking care of the whole person body, mind, spirit heart and soul. It looks at dying as something natural and personal.
The goal of palliative care is that you have the best quality of life you can have during this time.
7 Principles of Palliative Care
The following seven Principles of Palliative Care describe what care can and should be like for everyone facing the end of life. Some of these ideas may seem simple or just common sense. But all together they give a new and more
complete way to look at end-of-life care.
- Palliative care respects the goals, likes, and choices of the dying person. It…Respects your needs and wants as well as those of your family and other loved ones.
- Finds out from you who you want to help plan and give you care.
- Helps you understand your illness and what you can expect in the future.
- Helps you figure out what is important. Tries to meet your likes and dislikes, where you get health care, where you want to live, and the kinds of services you want.
- Helps you work together with your health care provider and health plan to solve problems.
- Palliative care looks after the medical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the dying person. It… Knows that dying is an important time for you and your family. Offers ways for you to be comfortable and ease pain and other physical discomfort.
- Helps you and your family make needed changes if the illness gets worse.
