If you or someone you love has ever suffered from cancer, you know the disease comes with its own set of challenges. From uncertainty and fear to deciding what steps should be taken next, many people find themselves looking for local resources to help. Some are fortunate enough to find palliative care, which offers support for serious illnesses like cancer. You may have questions about how palliative medicine works. Here are a few of the common questions we receive and how we answer them.
What is Palliative Care?
The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for patients who have a serious illness, regardless of their age or the stage of their disease. It can be provided with or without curative treatment, however, it’s most often used to prevent physical suffering while addressing a patient’s emotional, social and spiritual well-being. Patients can receive care anywhere they call home, including hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics or in a personal residence.
Who Provides Palliative Care?
Palliative care specialists are highly trained to provide holistic care for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families. They focus on physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs that may arise during the course of treatment, as well as provide education about what services are out there that may help ease the worries that come along with serious illness.
Palliative care specialists work as a part of a multidisciplinary team that may include doctors, nurses and other health professionals, such as registered dietitians or pharmacists. The goal is to provide the best possible quality of life for their patients, whether they are fighting an illness or simply managing symptoms, all while keeping patients’ goals of care in mind. These professionals can help lead discussions about patient goals while also providing caregiver support throughout all stages of the disease.
What Problems Are Addressed in Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a type of medical treatment that focuses on addressing physical and emotional needs during the many stages of cancer. This can include everything from disease-related pain management to psychological concerns, all while considering an individual’s specific situation and the following aspects of care:
Physical symptoms are not just about pain and fatigue. There’s a wide range of other issues that can affect your body, such as loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, insomnia and shortness of breath.
Palliative care is an essential component of oncology that can help patients and families deal with the complicated emotions they may be feeling. Depression, anxiety or fear are just a few issues palliative specialists address. They also offer resources to address other concerns like anxiety about future side effects associated with treatment.
When a person is diagnosed with cancer, they may look deeper into their beliefs and spiritual values to find peace. An expert in palliative care can help patients explore what is important to them so they feel more at ease, no matter the pain or challenges that come from their illness.
Family members and friends are an important part of cancer care. Like the patient, they often experience changes in their needs, such as taking time off work to stay home to care for their loved one. They may also deal with guilt as they struggle to meet all their obligations. They may even find themselves neglecting their own health as they care for their loved one.
When someone is facing a terminal illness or other significant health challenge, their family’s goal becomes helping them navigate this difficult time. Palliative care specialists such as social workers can assist with financial worries, legal issues and employment concerns as they discuss patients’ goals of care. This may include talking about advance directives so patients can make their wishes known if they are no longer able to make decisions for themselves.
When is Palliative Care Used in Cancer Care?
Palliative care is a vital resource for those facing cancer, from the time of diagnosis to the end of life. When someone receives palliative treatment, they can continue to receive cancer treatments.
How Does Someone Access Palliative Care?
Talk with your oncologist about palliative care. They may refer you to a palliative medicine specialist depending on your needs. Carolina Caring, a nonprofit serious illness provider serving western North Carolina, offers palliative medicine in patients’ homes as well as hospitals, long-term care facilities, assisted living centers and outpatient clinics in Burke, Catawba, Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Rowan counties.
What is the Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice?
Palliative care can help you and your loved ones at any stage of a serious illness, while hospice care is the best option for people who no longer want curative treatment after a certain point in their cancer journey.
Palliative providers can help patients and loved ones transition from palliative care to hospice by:
· Discussing the physical changes they may experience near the end of life
· Helping with coping skills, as well as mental and emotional issues that may arise
· Supporting patients, family members and caregivers
Who Pays for Palliative Care?
Private health insurance may cover palliative care services, but if patients don’t have coverage or are unsure about their eligibility for benefits, they can contact a social worker or a hospital financial representative. Medicare and Medicaid pay for some types of palliative care, but coverage can vary from state to state. If you are uninsured, Carolina Caring’s Foundation may be able to help.
Is There Any Research That Shows Palliative Care is Beneficial?
Palliative care is beneficial to both patient and family health, as it has been shown that integrating palliative medicine into a cancer diagnosis can improve quality of life. In addition, some studies show this approach may also prolong survival.
The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends all people who find themselves diagnosed with advanced cancers receive this type of care because it can improve how they feel during what may be a very difficult time.
Does NCI Support Palliative Care Research?
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a federal agency that supports cancer research and education. Among its many projects are clinical trials of palliative care services, symptom management such as fatigue, pain, sleep problems, peripheral neuropathy, nausea and vomiting.
