Over the last decade palliative care has been one of the fastest growing trends in healthcare. Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is the medical specialty focused on optimizing quality of life by treating the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness at any stage. This growth is primarily due to the increasing number of Americans living with serious illnesses and to the caregiving realities faced by their families. Palliative care responds by ensuring that distressing symptoms and side effects are managed, treatment goals are matched to personal goals, and ongoing communication is essential in what may often be a long, complex course of serious illness.
What is palliative medicine?
So, let’s look at the definition of palliative medicine, the benefits it brings to managing chronic conditions, serious illness and the symptoms of aging – at any stage of the healthcare journey – and why everyone needs to understand exactly the benefits of palliative care.
“I am here to assure you that palliative care is very much life enhancing. It is about improving a patient’s quality of life and functional status with an added layer of support for living with any serious illness at any stage,” says Sara Pagliaro, DO, Chief Medical Officer at Samaritan.
The core components of palliative care are expert symptom management to address issues such as pain, nausea, fatigue and shortness of breath. Palliative care teams also provide emotional and psychological support to patients and their families to help them cope with the challenges of serious illness and caregiving. By focusing on symptom relief and emotional support, palliative care significantly enhances the quality of life for patients and their families, allowing them to engage more fully in their daily activities and relationships.
What are the benefits of palliative care?
Palliative care providers facilitate discussions about treatment goals, preferences and advance care planning to encourage open and honest communication between patients, families and their healthcare providers. The palliative team also educates patients and families about their illness, treatment options and available resources, empowering them to make informed decisions and experience increased satisfaction with care.
The typical palliative medicine specialty team includes doctors, advanced practice nurses and social workers – all clinical experts committed to honoring each patient’s unique care goals in an effort to avoid unnecessary medical interventions by focusing on the patient’s wishes for their quality of life.
Finally, palliative care teams coordinate care with a patient’s other healthcare providers to ensure comprehensive, cohesive care throughout their treatment journey.
When is the right time to consider palliative medicine?
Palliative care can be beneficial at any stage of serious illness, from diagnosis through treatment, and beyond. Knowing when to consider palliative care can be challenging, as it often depends on the individual patient’s circumstances. However, there are several indicators that may signal the need for palliative care. These include a serious illness diagnosis such as cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or any progressive disease. Frequent hospitalizations and emergency room trips may indicate that their symptoms are not well-managed, highlighting the need for specialized support.
If a patient struggles with pain, fatigue or other symptoms that are difficult to control, palliative care can provide effective symptom management strategies. Additionally, patients or families experiencing significant emotional or psychological distress related to the illness may benefit from the supportive services offered by palliative care.
Finally, for patients and families facing complex treatment decisions, a palliative care team can facilitate these discussions and help patients clarify their goals for care, treatment and quality of life. These goals guide the care plan so the team can honor the patient’s personal values, wishes and preferences.
Palliative care offers patient-centered, coordinated care, appropriate for anyone with a serious illness or chronic condition, at any stage, including patients with advanced cardiac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney disease, diabetes, dementia, cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and more.
Some people think that palliative care is hospice care. The fact is, all hospice care is palliative care, but not all palliative care is hospice care. Hospice is a form of palliative care most appropriate when life expectancy is limited.
“Any patient facing serious illness or a chronic condition really should have the best care out there,” explains Dr. Pagliaro. “Specialty palliative care is available for most conditions, and I would encourage you to talk to your care provider to learn more.”
With decades of experience in providing palliative medicine, Samaritan continues to expand access for more patients. Through community education and partnerships, palliative services are available to patients in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing facilities, outpatient offices and at home.
