When should palliative care be provided?
If you've heard the term "palliative care," you might have associated it with people who have terminal illnesses and require end-of-life care. While this is correct, palliative care nursing is not limited to patients in the later stages of their illness. Patients can use it at any point during their medical journey to stay comfortable and pain-free.
Assume a person is diagnosed with a terminal or chronic illness and has no hope of recovery. In that case, palliative care nursing helps them and their loved ones. Palliative care can be used as a primary service or as an add-on to the doctors' treatment.
What is palliative care?
When a serious illness threatens a person's quality of life, palliative care nursing helps them live comfortably. This is accomplished through an interdisciplinary approach to symptom and side effect management, whether caused by the condition itself or by various intensive treatments, such as chemotherapy for cancer patients. It will not only improve the person's quality of life but also that of their family by providing professional care to the needy.
What are the benefits of palliative care?
Palliative care nursing can begin early in the course of an illness, which is extremely beneficial to the patient and their families. Palliative care encompasses more than just pain management; it encompasses a broader range of comfort care. Palliative care has the following advantages:
1. Delivered in the comfort of an individual's home.
2. Providing pain relief and symptom relief in addition to curative treatments.
3. Management of medication side effects.
4. Psychological and spiritual assistance.
5. Aid in evaluating medical treatment options and making decisions.
6. Emotional support.
When is palliative care necessary?
Palliative care can be used to manage and control the symptoms and side effects of many health conditions, but there are many factors to be considered when deciding whether it is right for a patient.
The two most important factors are:
Patients' condition
The patient should inform the carer about his current condition, treatment, side effects, and other important information so that a proper care plan can be designed. Even if their condition is not immediately life-threatening, palliative care can help patients manage harsh side effects and continue with daily activities. Palliative care, for example, could be appropriate for someone learning how to recover from a stroke.
Patient expectations
Once a patient understands their prognosis and potential treatment options, they may decide to forego treatment due to unmanageable side effects. They could also choose to combine intensive therapies with palliative care to better deal with the extra side effects.
What conditions qualify for palliative care?
Palliative care was originally meant for people who were nearing the end of their lives, but it has grown into a medical specialty that tries to meet the needs of each person and give them and their families support in all areas.
Below are the two ways in which pain and discomfort can be alleviated:
Symptoms of serious illnesses
Patients with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, lung disease, heart disease, or cancer may benefit from palliative care.
Side effects of harsh treatments
Many of these serious conditions involve equally intensive treatments, such as chemotherapy or opioid pain medication, which bring about unpleasant side effects. Palliative care is used to treat side effects rather than the underlying illness in some patients.
Palliative care options include
Physical
Some of the most common physical symptoms of serious conditions are pain, weakness, and loss of motor control or sensation. An effective palliative care intervention can help the person a lot.
Digestive
As a result of strong medications, patients may experience nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea, bowel and bladder dysfunction, and loss of appetite. Many of these side effects are preventable with proper care.
Pulmonary
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, and other respiratory illnesses frequently experience breathing difficulties and chronic coughing. Inhaled or oxygen therapy can help with these issues.
Mental
Patients suffering from chronic or terminal illnesses frequently experience mental and cognitive difficulties such as depression, confusion, and insomnia. Palliative care focuses on overall patient assistance in achieving more restful sleep and a positive outlook on life through therapy, counselling, or spiritual practises.
Who qualifies for palliative care?
Palliative care is available for patients at any stage of a serious illness. While cancer patients are perhaps the most well-known and common recipients of palliative care, it is also available to patients suffering from chronic or progressive life-limiting illnesses.
Palliative care nursing can be received by patients of any age, i.e., from prenatal to elderly. While many symptoms may prompt a referral to a palliative care team, some key factors may include: frequent hospitalizations or doctor visits; complicated medical needs; an overall decline in function; the need for additional care; and the need for advanced directives and care planning.
Most patients are eligible for palliative care if they meet the following criteria:
1. Have a serious, life-threatening, or life-limiting condition.
2. Continue to seek and receive curative treatments.
3. Significant pain or other symptoms that they find difficult to manage.
4. Need assistance coping with the emotional and psychological consequences of having a life-altering condition.
When should someone be offered palliative care?
The upside here is that there really isn’t a set time someone can enter palliative care nursing. This type of care can be provided at any stage of an illness, even as soon as you are diagnosed. So, whether or not palliative care should be given depends on the person and how quickly their health condition is getting worse.
Normally, a doctor or healthcare team will decide when a patient should receive palliative care, but the patient has the final say. If a patient is unable to make a decision, their family can step in. If a person's condition is still manageable and not life-threatening, they can wait to get palliative care nursing services until it is no longer manageable with emotional support and medications. Also, if a person with a terminal illness decides to stop treatment, especially if it becomes too invasive or the side effects are too much to handle, palliative care nursing can help control their symptoms and make their life easier.
Furthermore, the person can begin palliative care immediately after the final diagnosis to allow time for spiritual and mental support. Palliative care teams aim to provide 360-degree support to guide the person spiritually and mentally, rather than just the medical aspect of their condition. People with depression and anxiety find this part of palliative care very comforting.
It is best to begin thinking about palliative care as soon as possible, as you will need to consult with your healthcare professional and obtain a referral to a palliative care program.
Your healthcare professional might need to know:
1. The level of care required to manage the condition and improve quality of life
2. Symptoms and treatment options
3. Help with daily activities
4. Wishes and expectations
5. What the palliative care team and treatment plan might look like
Also, the palliative care team will look at the patient's health as a whole. This means that they may suggest therapies or treatments you have never tried or even thought of.
Nurses Group Homecare provides palliative care nursing to patients in need. We have highly qualified and experienced care assistance and nursing staff to assist you in living comfortably. Please visit our service page to learn more about the help we provide.