Hospice & Home Health Care

Palliative Care

Improving the quality of life

Introduction to Palliative Care

Palliative care is a type of specialized medical care for people with severe diseases. Palliative care is aimed at improving the quality of life for people with severe diseases. It prevents or alleviates disease and treatment-related symptoms and side effects. Palliative care also addresses emotional, social, practical and spiritual issues related to an illness. When a person feels better in these areas, their quality of life improves.

A specially trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who cooperate with the patient’s primary care physician to provide additional support is provided for in palliative care. Palliative care focuses on the needs of the patient, not its prognosis. It is suitable for patients of all ages and at all stages of a severe illness and this type of care can be administered with curative therapy.

Palliative care can also be provided with curative treatments at the same time. Palliative care may be provided at the time of diagnosis, during treatment, during follow-up and at the time near death.

Palliative care may be offered to individuals suffering from illnesses such as:

  • Cancer
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Lung ailments
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Dementia
  • HIV / AIDS
  • Multiple Sclerosis (ALS) (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)

While receiving palliative care, patients can continue to be treated for their disease by their regular health care provider.

Palliative Care

Assisting you towards healing and recovery

What is palliative care?

Unlike hospice, palliative care is aimed at improving the quality of life for people with severe diseases. It prevents or alleviates disease and treatment-related symptoms and side effects. Palliative care also addresses emotional, social, practical and spiritual issues related to an illness. Palliative care focuses on the needs of the patient, not its prognosis.

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What does Palliative Care Include?

A severe illness has ramifications beyond the physical state of the body. It affects every aspect of a person’s life and the lives of their family members. Palliative care can help a person cope with side effects of their illness.

Symptoms of Physical difficulties having adverse effects may include the following:

  • Pain
  • Sleeping Difficulties
  • Breathlessness
  • Appetite loss and nausea

Treatments may include the following:

  • Medicine
  • Nutritional counselling
  • Orthopedic therapy
  • Counselling occupational therapy
  • Integrative modalities

What to report to our palliative care team?

It is important to talk to our palliative care team about any concerns you have. During this difficult and stressful time it is important that caregivers take care of themselves while caring for the person who is dying. The team will be there to provide support and comfort.

  • Changes in the patient such as restlessness or anxiety, changes in breathing, pain or discomfort
  • Need for spiritual support or guidance for the person or family
  • Concerns that may need help from the social worker, chaplain or other members of our hospice team
  • Religious, cultural or ethnic traditions important to your family
  • Information about the funeral home and other arrangements that are wishes of the person, such as organ donation
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Who Is Eligible for Palliative Care?

Palliative care is offered to all patients with severe disease irrespective of their age or preference for treatment. It is ideal, if provided early in the condition and continues throughout in conjunction with life-prolonging or curative treatments. In other words, patients are not required to choose between curative and palliative care; they may receive both.

Not only does palliative care improve patients’ and families’ quality of life by alleviating mental, physical distress and discomfort, but it can also help patients live longer. Improved quality of life, appropriate treatment and early hospice referral for intensive management and stabilization of symptoms are responsible for increased survival of the patient.

Pharmacy Needs, Medical Equipment, and Medical Supplies

Heart of Hope provides all medication and medical equipment and supplies related to the patient’s diagnosis at no cost to the patient or family.

Our team will coordinate the ordering, delivery, and set up of all necessary medication, medical equipment and supplies. This allows the patient and their family to focus on their time together instead of worrying about financial concerns or leaving their terminally ill loved one alone to make trips to the pharmacy or medical supply stores.

We know your time together is precious.

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Every case is different, making every service we provide slightly unique to each patient. If you’re not sure how to proceed, you can start with an introduction message, and we’ll go from there...

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