5 stages of palliative care: A comprehensive guide
Palliative care is one of the most misconstrued homecare services, as many believe that it is only appropriate for those with terminal illnesses in their final stages. It emphasises symptom management, advanced care planning, and life quality. It seeks to improve the quality of life for those with complex medical conditions and their families.
Palliative care, also known as a holistic approach, is concerned with the whole individual, as it entails managing physical and emotional pain and other distress symptoms as well as providing social, psychological, and spiritual support.
In this comprehensive guide, we will be looking into the five stages of palliative care, exploring each stage in detail so that a patient can have a better understanding of the service.
What are the five stages of palliative care?
As mentioned above, palliative care is split into five stages. Understanding these stages helps individuals and their families decide about the care they need and ensure that the person is getting the right care at the right time.
Stage 1: Creating a plan:
This is the initial stage where a service user's care plan is created. When a patient is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, a palliative care team is frequently called in to evaluate the patient's physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs. A patient's primary healthcare professional, such as a GP, along with any specialist medical professionals involved in individual care, such as occupational or physiotherapists, work to set out which palliative care services they would need. This initial palliative care will usually involve:
1. Patients current and future treatment plans
2. The expected progression of their illness
3. Essential medicines and symptom relief
4. A person's initial care preferences, such as whether they would like to remain home or if they'd like a specific form of therapy.
This stage involves a thorough evaluation of the patient's condition (including illness and its progression), medical history, current and future treatments, when and how the patient will receive care both at the hospital and at home, and legal decisions. Out of the five stages in palliative care, this phase is crucial as it lays the foundation for the palliative care journey and sets the stage for effective symptom management and supportive care throughout the illness trajectory. In this stage, the patient and their families have full control over their care plan, which is flexible to change and progress to meet their needs at every stage.
Stage 2: Emotional and spiritual care and support:
Depending on the level of care agreed upon during stage one, a patient's support worker, counsellor, and religious or spiritual professional (if requested) will work together to provide patients and their families with emotional support and help prepare for what is ahead in life. This could include arranging a safe space to discuss a patient's emotions with a qualified therapist or helping them find peace and comfort. The palliative care team can also help support a patient through difficult conversations with their loved ones about their illness and the future. They ensure that individuals and families are not left alone to face anything.
Stage 3: Early-stage care:
The healthcare workers will look into all aspects of care so that a patient can live as independently as possible. In cases where a patient is receiving homecare support, which includes sourcing assistance for daily living from carers or setting patients up with specialist equipment. If a patient is experiencing shortness of breath, a carer may be able to find an adjustable bed or pressure-relieving mattress, as well as oxygen cylinders or nebulizers.
In case a service user requires some adaptations to help them move around safely in their home, they can ask for the assistance of their social worker about Government funding. Most local councils in the UK will cover the cost of modifications under £1000, regardless of a patient's income. This includes installing things like grab rails in the bathroom, ramps, and temperature-controlled mixer taps.
If a patient's requirements are more extensive, they may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant of up to £30,000 (in England), which can assist with larger modifications such as walk-in showers or bathtubs and stairlifts.
Stage 4: Late-stage care:
In this stage, a patient's healthcare team will help them plan more permanent, late-stage support. Typically, this is the stage at which hospice care discussions occur. Hospices are dedicated centres for those living with a terminal illness that provide symptom management and practical and emotional support. Most hospices offer a range of care options, from outpatient and day services that give family carers periods of respite to full-time residential care. If a patient chooses to stay at home, their social worker will help them arrange live-in care with a care provider with an acute understanding of their condition or illness. At this stage, end-of-life care begins. Hospice is free but usually needs to be referred by a GP.
Stage 5: Supporting loved ones:
This stage of palliative support focuses on providing bereavement support to the grieving family, friends, and carers, ensuring they receive emotional, spiritual, and psychological support through this difficult time. However, this stage can vary from person to person depending on their grieving period, which can last anywhere from a few weeks to up to 12 months.
Why is palliative care required?
The aforementioned five stages of palliative care ensure that every aspect of a patient's terminal care is taken care of. With the help of a care agency that provides palliative care, like Nurses Group Homecare, an individual's concerns can be addressed with compassion and understanding at every phase of their illness. There are various groups involved in palliative support, which include:
1. Doctors and nurses
2. Social workers
3. Spiritual and religious groups
4. Counsellors and psychologists
5. Support groups
6. A live-in or visiting carer like Nurses Group Homecare UK.
The main goal of these healthcare professionals is to guide individuals and their families through tough times by supporting them with medications, emotional and psychological support, and care services to improve their quality of life and regain some freedom as they are undergoing treatment.
Nurses Group Homecare UK provides palliative care to individuals and their families. We are the best homecare provider in Yeovil, providing a wide range of homecare services. To learn more about our homecare services, check out our care service page.