Why Choose Palliative Care?

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CAPCMSSSM.ORG 2008

Why Choose Palliative Care

Palliative Care is a specialized system of treatment, a health care treatment which aims to ensure the quality of life of a patient and his family during an acute illness. Palliative Care Treatment continues during progressive illness and even after death of the patient.

Palliative care may be administered at home or in the hospital or in any assisted living facilities. Palliative Care services include consulting the patient's primary doctor, specialized nursing care, diet care, day care, physiotherapy, counseling, spiritual support, occupational therapy, bereavement support etc.

Palliative care can be given for patients suffering from any type of disease. But it is mostly associated with chronic and acute diseases like Cancer, AIDS, Heart Diseases, Neurological diseases etc. Both adult and pediatric Palliative Care is available.

When some is detected with a terrible illness like Cancer or chronic heart failure, they become mentally and emotionally weak and desperate. They usually lose hope and faith in treatments. The family members also have a terrible experience while caring for such a patient. Here, Palliative Care comes as a relief both to the patient and his family. It helps in making the right decisions about the course of treatment. It also helps the patient to have the right attitude towards his course of treatment. It also helps in smooth and proper communication between the patient, his family and the primary doctor who supervises the medical treatments, thereby making the treatment more effective.

Palliative Care may be called 'comfort care' as its main aim is reducing the pain, symptoms and stress related to a disease and its course of treatment. Palliative Care does not concentrate on death but on compassionate care for the living. It works along with the primary course of treatment for the disease. Along with the care for physical needs, it also includes support for spiritual, emotional and mental health, of both the patient and his family. It makes a difference in the life of the patient and his family by converting the terrible experience into a gentle and dignified one.