Palliative Care
What is it?
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness and can be provided at any stage of their illness. A patient in palliative care may receive medical care for their symptoms along with treatment intended to cure their serious illness. This approach is meant to enhance a person’s care by focusing on quality of life for them and their family.
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A patient in palliative care may be undergoing treatment for a disease or chronic condition and may or may not be terminally ill. Palliative care addresses the patient’s physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being and is appropriate for patients in all disease states.
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Palliative care is NOT hospice care. Palliative care can be integrated with curative treatment and focuses on improving the quality of life for individuals facing serious illnesses—which includes addressing symptoms and stress—regardless of prognosis or treatment status. However, hospice care usually involves ending curative treatments and is specifically for patients with terminal illnesses with a prognosis of six months or less to live. It prioritizes comfort and quality of life, often provided in the patient's home or specialized facilities. While both aim to alleviate suffering, hospice care is tailored for care and end-of-life support.
A Patient Centered Approach
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Community based palliative care can prevent unnecessary ER visits and hospitalizations by anticipating, preventing, and relieving suffering related to a serious illness or the side effects of treatment.
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Community based palliative care effectively identifies and addresses the non-medical, social determinants of health that have a significant impact on patient health and identification of high risk for poor outcomes.
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Advance Care Planning provided by specially trained hospice and palliative care clinicians, who have experience in intentional and meaningful conversations regarding the understanding of disease progression, exploration of the burdens and benefits of treatments and establishment of goals that are adjusted throughout the palliative trajectory, are the cornerstone of community based palliative care.
Progression of Serious Illness
