Palliative care has been around for several years, but it is frequently underutilized. Many people have never heard of it before, or if they have, they are often misinformed. One of the biggest misconceptions is that palliative care is just a part of hospice care. It is true that palliative care is based on many hospice care principles and delivered through some hospice agencies, but it is a different program entirely.
What is palliative care? The goal of palliative care is to relieve symptoms related to disease process and quality of life for patients and families. It does not intend to hasten nor postpone death. Palliative care is appropriate at any stage in the disease process – it is not just for end-of-life care. If you are having pain, nausea due to chemotherapy, or shortness of breath resulting from congestive heart failure, you are a candidate for palliative care. Palliative care is similar to hospice in these two goals.
The primary difference between the two programs is that palliative care patients can receive curative care. This means that patients can continue to have chemotherapy or other treatment, hospitalizations for their disease process, and home care if needed for nursing and therapy.
Hospice of Holland is expanding their program to include an interdisciplinary team to help meet the needs of their patients. This team includes the palliative care physician, a nurse, and a social worker. Having a team of people working to meet the needs of each patient will improve the coordination of care, and help to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of each individual client.
To obtain palliative care, you need an order from your primary care physician. Don’t wait for your physician to bring this up to you. If you feel you may benefit from palliative care, ask for the order. You may also ask Hope Church Nurse, Donita Robards (616-796-3800), for information.