Perhaps you have a relative who is at the point where old age has overwhelmed them or who can’t recover from an illness. Although this is never an easy decision, a time will come when palliative care will be the logical option, whether the relative is in home care or hospital care. Palliative care at home is available in some instances, but not everyone is willing to deal with that emotional burden.
Palliative care provides a caring and calming environment where caregivers can preserve the dignity of a patient and ease their pain. By choosing palliative care, it doesn’t mean that your loved one stop to seek other medical treatments. Below are signs it is time for a relative to go for palliative care in Indiana:
When Diagnosed with a Critical Illness
Cancer patients can still receive chemotherapy and other treatments as their caregivers prepare them for either outcome. However, palliative care becomes the only option when a patient gets to the point where other procedures are no longer warranted. Other treatments can still be delivered to mitigate emotional pain and minimize unpleasant side effects. Palliative care is the only option when all other treatment options prove futile.
Unbearable Suffering
Although the goal of every doctor is to reduce patient suffering as much as they can, palliative caregivers have expertise and training in symptom control and pain management. A palliative caregiver not only helps improve the quality of a patient’s life but also helps family members understand and cope up with the situation. Palliative caregivers are professionals in helping patients deal with emotional suffering caused by depression and anxiety, and not all doctors are trained to deal with such cases.
Frequent Visits to the Emergency Room
It can be time to consider palliative care if your loved one has a critical illness that has been landing them in the intensive care unit often. Palliative care journey can even begin once a patient visits an emergency room. Although emergency rooms may not be the ideal place for a patient to start palliative care journey, hospice caregivers can assist patients to achieve their goals by discussing their disease trajectory and prognosis with them.
When Undergoing Any Medical Procedure
Hospice doctors can advise a patient whether to undergo a specific medical procedure or not. Open communication is one of the goals of hospice care, and it should go beyond advising patients about possible treatments and current concern. A palliative doctor can inform a patient about the likelihood of success of a medical procedure as well as its risks. Hospice caregivers can also be an ally in decision making and keep family members informed about the state of their loved one.
Of course, everyone expects to have a little more time with their grandparents or aging parents. Medical treatments can also offer hope for a prolonged life even when a relative is in the late stage of a deadly disease such as cancer. Besides medical procedures, palliative care is another form of therapy for patients dealing with life-limiting illnesses such as cancer and diabetes.
