Many people are introduced to palliative care through the end-of-life experience.
Although Palliative Care Services Melbourne begin with the needs of those who are facing serious or life-threatening illness, it goes beyond addressing their physical needs and encompasses the psychological, spiritual, and emotional ones as well.
Once patients know about palliative care, they often feel more at ease knowing that their medical professionals have an awareness of their total situation and can provide comprehensive support throughout the entire journey from diagnosis to death.
Key principles of palliative care
Palliative care is not just about treating the physical symptoms of an illness. It also focuses on relieving suffering, improving quality of life, and providing support for caregivers.
The goal is for patients to live as fully as possible until their death.
Through collaboration with family members, doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, palliative care specialists help people understand what they need at each stage of a serious illness.
A holistic approach includes emotional, social, and spiritual needs in addition to medical needs.
Hospice services are available in some countries or states; others may offer end-of-life counseling or home visits from hospice nurses. In both cases, this type of service emphasizes comfort above all else.
How does palliative care differ from hospice?
Palliative care is a range of treatments for people with serious illness. The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families by relieving pain, managing symptoms, addressing psychosocial needs, and providing support for the patient’s family.
Palliative care differs from hospice in that palliative care is typically provided at the same time as other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
General goals of palliation
Palliative care focuses on comfort, quality of life, and dignity in the face of serious illness.
Palliation seeks to achieve this by addressing the needs of patients as well as their family members. This includes physical, psychological, social, spiritual, educational, nutritional, and occupational therapy needs.
Palliative care can be provided at any stage of an illness from diagnosis onward; however, it is often given after other treatments have been tried or when a cure is not possible.
A typical palliative treatment plan may include pain control, relief from nausea, breathlessness, or muscle spasms, management of blood loss or diarrhea, and appropriate hydration and nutrition.
Each patient will be assessed individually so that a personalized treatment plan can be developed.
Goals specific to the patient’s situation
Palliative care is a type of medical care that focuses on providing the best possible quality of life for patients who are living with serious illnesses. Palliative care emphasizes comfort, quality, and dignity.
The goal is not curing the illness, but managing it so the patient can feel more in control of their life.
Through discussions with their doctor and other health care providers, people learn what they can do to improve their quality of life during this time.
As time goes on, many patients find that palliative care provides them much-needed relief from both physical and emotional distress.
Conclusion
Palliative Care Services Melbourne is a non-invasive approach that addresses all aspects of the human being – body, mind, and spirit.
Simply put, it goes beyond addressing physical needs. It is a comprehensive approach that takes into consideration both psychological needs as well as spiritual needs.
As such, palliative care should be part of any discussion about end-of-life care.