Hospice and Palliative Care

Sjamsul Nursalim

CAPCMSSSM.ORG 2008

Hospice and Palliative Care

Hospice and Palliative care are two different health treatments aimed at ensuring the quality of life of a patient and his family. But they are not one and the same, though they can be administered simultaneously.

Hospice is the specialized care for a patient suffering from a terminal disease who is no longer undertaking a curative course of treatment. Hospice concentrates on reducing or relieving the pain, stress and symptoms of the disease and its treatment. It is meant for patients who are expected to live only for a short period, usually less than a year. It can be provided at home or in the hospital or any other assisted living setting.

Palliative Care is can be given to anyone suffering from any kind of acute or serious disease. It can be given at any point or stage of disease. Palliative Care is also specialized system of treatment meant to reduce or relieve the pain, symptoms and stress of the disease and its treatment. But it is provided to patients who are usually undergoing curative course of treatment which aims at prolonging the life of the patient.

So, in short, it can be said that the main difference between Hospice and Palliative Care is that the former is meant for patients with terminal illness who are approaching their deaths while the latter is meant for patients with serious illness but are undertaking curative treatments to prolong their lives. But Palliative care also can be given to those undergoing Hospice care.

Both Hospice and Palliative Care focuses on the safety of the patient, his comfort and dignity in his day to day activities. Both aim at providing quality life to the patient and his family through its team of expert professional. Both are not primary course of treatments but supplement and enhance the main stream treatment. Thus both the 'comfort treatments' makes life easy for both the patient and his family.