When people talk about home health palliative care, they often think of hospice. But palliative care and hospice care are different. Palliative care specialists help the patient get better control of their pain and symptoms while offering them less intensive care.

According to a new study, it was found that palliative care in nursing homes is often associated with less hospitalization and intensive treatment. Moreover, these benefits come at no additional cost to Medicare.

Patients who receive home health palliative care along with their standard treatment plan have reported better quality of life as compared to patients who did not receive palliative care. Moreover, opting for early palliative care makes it easier for patients to cope up with their disease in a better manner.

Goals of Palliative Care

Palliative care aims at improving the quality of life for the patient and his loved ones. The goals of palliative care often include:

  • Assisting the patient with mobility and safety
  • Keeping the patient’s pain to a minimum
  • Allowing meaningful interactions between the patient and his loved ones
  • Treating symptoms to improve the overall health of the patient
  • Allowing patient and his caregiver to understand each other
  • Improving patient’s spiritual and emotional well being
  • Reducing caregivers burden through respite care and training

Opting for palliative care does not mean the patient is dying. Remember, while all hospice care is palliative care, not all palliative care is hospice.

According to WHO, palliative care is defined as, “An approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with a life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.”

On the other hand, hospice care is provided to individuals who have been diagnosed with six months or less to live.

Who Is Appropriate For Palliative Care?

Patients who are diagnosed with a life-threatening and serious illness can choose palliative care. A patient who receives palliative care is not required to give up on aggressive curative treatment to cure his underlying medical condition.

Other than cancer patients, patients suffering from various other life-threatening ailments such as HIV or AIDS, COPD, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Systemic Lupus, MS, diabetes and heart disease can choose palliative care.

Benefits of Palliative Care

You can opt for palliative care wherever you are – in the hospital, assisted living facility, at your home or in a nursing facility. Palliative care experts:

  • Manage patient’s pain and symptoms
  • Provide assistance with medication management
  • Offer guidance and support to the patient and his caregivers
  • Offer medical, emotional, social and spiritual care

According to a recent survey by the Center of Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), nearly 80% of consumers who received background information on palliative care said they would choose it for themselves or their loved ones. To learn more about home health palliative care and its benefits, get in touch with Inspiration Hospice today. Call 385-247-2020 today!