What Stage Of Life Is Palliative Care? It’s Not Just For The Final Days
Palliative care is quality of life care, not necessarily end of life care. This distinction is important because, too often, patients and family members resist this kind of compassionate care because they believe it means they are dying.
Palliative care can be very helpful for patients with a terminal illness, but it’s not just for their final days. In this article, we will explore important information about palliative care services, including:
- What it is
- Who is eligible for palliative care programs
- What it includes
- How palliative care differs from hospice care
- Who provides palliative care, and where
- How to know if your loved one can benefit from palliative care
Don’t forget to check out the Trualta library for more resources on hospice care, palliative care, and other topics related to caregiving. Use this link to find out if you have free access.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a type of medical care that focuses on symptom management and quality of life rather than curative treatments. A patient receiving palliative care may also be continuing with curative treatments, while receiving separate care from a palliative care team.
The primary goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for someone living with a serious illness. Palliative care teams aim to achieve this goal through various strategies. They develop a care plan that depends on the patient’s wishes and needs and those of their family.
Symptom and pain management are often the primary focus of palliative care. Palliation also addresses a patient’s mental health, emotional, social, spiritual, and practical needs.
Who Is Eligible For Palliative Care?
There are no set rules about who is eligible for palliative care. However, insurance or Medicare coverage may depend on certain requirements. Generally, palliative care is for anyone with a serious illness who could benefit.
The illness does not need to be terminal. Patients receiving palliative care do not need to be dying or in the end stages of their disease. Patients can benefit from palliative care soon after being diagnosed with a serious condition. Some examples of diagnoses that may include palliative care include:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Dementia
- Heart failure
- HIV and AIDS
- Kidney disease
- Liver disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Stroke
A patient may receive early, mid, or advance palliative care. Early care is especially useful in relieving symptoms, managing side effects of curative treatments, and helping patients and their families make important decisions.
Hospice Care vs. Palliative Care
That hospice care and palliative care are the same thing is a common and damaging misconception. Hospice care is a type of palliative care. It’s for patients with very serious and life limiting illnesses who are nearing the end of their life.
The misconception about these two types of care is harmful because it often prevents patients from getting beneficial care. Patients and their loved ones may hesitate to initiate palliative care because they believe it means they are dying imminently. There is no reason to wait until a patient has days to live when hospice could help them be more comfortable months sooner.
Even when hospice care is appropriate or recommended, it doesn’t mean the patient is dying soon. Most doctors use a six-month mark to recommend hospice care. They also consider hospice when patients are no longer benefiting from curative treatments.
What Is Included In Palliative Care?
Palliative care is highly individualized. Palliative care teams consist of at least one doctor, nurses, home care aides, social workers, legal and financial experts, and others. They develop and implement tailored care plans for each patient, changing them as needed.
In general, palliative care plans include:
- Symptom management. Medical treatments, medications, physical therapy, and other treatment options help patients manage symptoms like pain, difficulty breathing, or nausea. This is a big part of improving quality of life for patients living with a serious illness.
- Emotional support. Living with a serious illness, or being a dying person, is emotionally taxing. Palliative care includes counseling, therapy, support groups, family meetings, and other types of support to improve mental health.
- Education. Educating patients and their families is a vital component of palliative care. It helps them make more informed decisions about care and, when appropriate, end-of-life matters.
- Practical support. Patients and their families often struggle with practical matters while focusing on the illness. Palliative care can include in-home care for personal needs. It might include resources for transportation or housing. Practical support also includes legal and financial education and guidance.
- Spiritual support. Appropriate spiritual care is important for many patients, especially those receiving end-of-life care.
The patient is the main focus of a palliative care program, but family is also included. They can benefit from emotional support, education, and resources. Practical support for carers and family members also includes respite care.
Are There Stages Of Palliative Care?
There are no official stages of palliative care, but many healthcare providers recognize early, middle, and late stages of care. Some recognize 5 stages of palliative care, but not all patients go through every one of them. Some recover and stop needing palliative care. These are the 5 stages:
- Stage 1. In the early stage of palliation, patients and their families work with the palliative care providers to develop an individualized care plan.
- Stage 2. Next, both patients and family members receive emotional support to cope with illness and the possibility of dying.
- Stage 3. Often at the same time as stage 2, patients receive medical treatments, therapies, and other types of care to manage their symptoms and improve quality of life in the middle stage of care, which is the majority of palliative care.
- Stage 4. If needed, patients will receive end-of-life care or hospice care. This can be a continuation of palliative care with services specific to helping patients and their families face the dying process.
- Stage 5. If a patient passes away, the family and caregivers can continue to benefit from the palliative care team or hospice team, which provides bereavement support in this final stage.
If the doctor recommends palliative care for your loved one, remember that they may not need all 5 stages. Palliative care is for patients at any age and at any stage of a serious illness that may or may not be life threatening.
Does My Loved One Need Palliative Care Or Hospice Care?
This is a big choice for your loved one and your family. Your loved one may be ready for palliative care if they have a serious illness. They could be ready for hospice care if their health is deteriorating and curative treatments are no longer helping. Treatments may even be causing them to suffer more due to side effects.
The decision to start palliative or hospice care is important. If possible, the patient should make the final decision. They should have all the information and input from their family as well as recommendations from their doctor.
Even with all the information, it can be a difficult choice. Here are some important points to keep in mind:
- Hospice care. Hospice can begin when the patient’s doctor believes they may only have six months or less to live. The patient does not have to wait for their final days to benefit from hospice. Hospice care will not speed up the dying process.
- Palliative care. A patient can be in any stage of a serious illness, terminal or not, and benefit from palliative care. Again, they do not have to wait to be in a late stage or dying to benefit.
It’s important for patients to understand that agreeing to palliative or hospice care doesn’t mean they have to give up their trusted doctor. These other types of care are provided by additional teams who work alongside and in collaboration with your loved one’s primary doctor.
Palliative care is not just end-of-life care. Even when it is for patients who are dying, it’s not just for those in their final days. Advocate for your loved one by talking to their doctor about palliative care. If they have a serious illness and are struggling, palliative care can help.
Are you a family caregiver for a loved one with a serious or terminal illness? Check this link to see if you have free access to an entire library of caregiving resources from Trualta.
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