When facing a serious illness, the need for compassionate care that focuses on quality of life and support for both the patient and their loved ones becomes paramount. Palliative care is a specialized form of medical care that addresses these needs by expertly managing symptoms, alleviating pain, and providing emotional and spiritual support. At Partners In Care in Bend, Oregon, our dedicated team offers comprehensive palliative care services that ensure patients in Central Oregon receive the best possible care during challenging times. Whether you or a loved one is navigating a complex illness, Partners In Care is committed to enhancing comfort and dignity every step of the way.
1. What is palliative care?
Palliative care is specialized medical care that helps people living with serious illness – and their families– live better. We work as a team of specialists to improve quality of life, provide symptom relief and reduce stresses associated with serious illness, and help align treatments with a person’s goals and values to ensure they get the best care possible. Palliative care teams include physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, and chaplains, among others.
2. What are the benefits of palliative care for serious illness?
Palliative care is an extra layer of support for patients and families that is provided concurrently with care they are receiving from their other providers – palliative care does not replace primary care or specialist teams. Ideally, palliative care is started soon after the diagnosis of a serious illness as we know now that people dealing with a serious health issue live better, and often longer, when palliative care is involved in conjunction with disease-modifying therapies.
3. Who is eligible for palliative care?
Palliative care can make the most impact when introduced early in the disease trajectory and is for patients of any age and at any stage of a serious illness. Palliative care is appropriate for people living with any serious illness, such as cancer, dementia, neurodegenerative disease, advanced heart failure, COPD, and advanced renal or liver disease, among others. Anyone with distressing symptoms related to their advanced illness, people who need clarification of medical care goals, or those needing support with complex medical decision making should meet with a palliative care specialist.
4. What is the difference between palliative care and hospice?
Palliative care is NOT hospice care. Though palliative care and hospice have similar goals of improving quality of life and supporting people to make decisions around their health care that are in line with their values, there are distinct differences between the two services. Hospice is provided by a team that sees patients where they are living and is only offered to people with a terminal illness in their last six months of life when they are no longer getting disease-modifying therapies such as chemotherapy or surgery. Palliative care should be started soon after the diagnosis of a life-limiting illness and is provided in conjunction with disease-modifying or therapies of curative therapies. With palliative care there are no restrictions on prognosis or concurrent treatments that a patient can receive. Hospice remains the gold standard for end-of-life care for people in their last six months of life.
5. Can patients still receive curative treatments while on palliative care?
Yes – palliative care is provided concurrently with other treatments, including those of curative intent.
6. How does palliative care improve quality of life?
Palliative care is provided by a team of specialists whose expertise is symptom management caused by serious illnesses. These symptoms can be physical symptoms, such as pain, shortness of breath or nausea, among many other things, but also the spiritual or emotional distress that can be associated with a serious illness. By expertly treating these symptoms, people live better – and often longer.
7. Can palliative care help with pain management?
Palliative care specialists are experts in treating pain that is caused by a serious illness such as cancer or heart disease. Often pain is influenced by emotional or spiritual distress in addition to physical causes; therefore, to be effectively managed, palliative care teams look at patients as a whole being and address one’s body, mind and spirit. Each palliative care team is different, though most do not treat chronic pain that is not caused by an illness, such as chronic back pain.
8. How does palliative care address emotional and spiritual needs?
Palliative care providers regard patients as a whole person, focusing on their mind, body and spirit. Social workers and chaplains are experts in treating emotional or spiritual distress that can be associated with a serious illness. Some visits are done with multiple palliative care team members, and other visits are done with one member of the team. Patients are always invited to include their family in palliative care consults.
9. Do patients ever get better in palliative care?
Patients get better with palliative care support as their symptoms are expertly treated and treatments are aligned with their values and wishes around their health care. Some palliative care patients may be cured of their illness and live for years after they have been treated by a palliative care team.
10. How can palliative care help with decision-making?
Palliative care teams spend time with patients and their family members, learning about what is most important to people and what they hope for in life. We try to align treatments with a patient’s values, in accordance with what they are willing to go through – or not – to ensure that people get the best care possible, which is different for us all based on what is important to us in life. Palliative care teams help patients understand their treatment options and balance risks and likely outcomes to make the best decisions they can surrounding their health.
11. Will insurance cover palliative care?
Palliative care is covered by health insurance – seeing a palliative care provider is the same as seeing any other medical specialist.
Palliative care plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life for patients facing serious illnesses, offering relief from symptoms and providing much-needed support for both patients and their families. Understanding the ins and outs of palliative care can be overwhelming, but with the right guidance, it can also be a source of comfort and peace. At Partners In Care in Bend, Oregon, our experienced team is dedicated to providing compassionate, individualized care that meets your unique needs. To learn more about our palliative care program, home health and hospice services, and veterans and grief support, contact Partners In Care today. Let us help you navigate this journey with the care and support you deserve.