What Is Palliative Care At Home?

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, such as cancer or heart related issues. Patients in palliative care may receive medical care for their symptoms, or palliative care at home through professionals such as doctors and nurses, along with the treatment intended to cure the serious illness.

Palliative care is a resource for anyone living with a serious illness, such as Heart Failure, Cancer, Dementia, Parkinson’s disease and others. In addition to improving quality of life and helping with symptoms, palliative care at home help patients understand their choices for medical treatment. The services available through palliative care at home are helpful to older persons having discomfort and disability very late in life.

How Palliative Care Is Provided?

It is provided by a team of trained professionals which includes doctors, nurses, social workers, volunteers, physiotherapist etc. It improves the quality of life of patient who is suffering from serious ailments. A patient gets the best treatment when it’s given at home. When palliative care is provided at home by team of experts it provides sense of safety, privacy, confidentiality and peace of mind. It provides psychological support to the patient [2]

What Issues Are Taken Care With Palliative Care At Home

Patients suffering from chronic debilitating disease like cancer, lung disease, renal issues, cardiac issues, dementia and Alzheimer’s gets palliative care at home or in a homely environment. Senocare had team of doctors, nurses, social workers, volunteer’s, physiotherapist to provide support. Given the rising expense of chronic disease care, it can be difficult for families to maintain treatment in a hospital or hospice. Family members are very important in home-based palliative care. They receive training from the team to master the fundamentals of palliation. Palliative care at home must be integrated into normal home health care services.

Importance Of Home Palliative Care

Home palliative care gives patients with serious diseases and their families physical, emotional, and spiritual assistance, allowing them to live as comfortably and completely as possible in their own homes.

Better quality of life

Symptom management

Home palliative care teams can help patients control their pain, nausea, exhaustion, and other symptoms, allowing them to stay comfortable and engaged in activities they like. Home palliative care provides emotional and spiritual support to patients and their families, assisting them in coping with the hardships of serious illness. Counselling, bereavement support, and spiritual direction are examples of such services.

Improved quality of life for family members

Home palliative care may benefit family members as well, allowing them to spend more time with their loved ones while also lowering the stress and strain of caregiving.

Reduced cost

Reduced hospital admissions

Home palliative care can help patients avoid costly and painful hospital hospitalizations.

Reduced hospital stays

For patients who do require hospitalization, home palliative care can help them heal quicker and return home sooner. Home palliative care can help patients manage their symptoms more effectively, minimizing their dependency on other healthcare services such as emergency department visits and expert appointments.

Things to be done to set up home Palliative care

In countries with limited resources, emphasis on symptom control, especially pain, should be of highest priority, and home-based PC should be integrated into the health-care system [3,4]. Consider the following measures to prepare the home for palliative care

Organise prescriptions and supplies

Gather the following medical supplies

Stock up on wound care materials such as bandages, gloves, wipes, and so on.

Safely store medications

Medication should be kept in a safe, organised area away from children and pets. Set up a medicine schedule: Establish a clear and regular drug routine.

Is Palliative Care At Home Beneficial

Patients with serious diseases and their families benefit from palliative care at home. It has the potential to improve quality of life, lower expenses, and raise patient satisfaction.

Here are some of the advantages of receiving palliative treatment at home

Palliative care teams can help patients manage pain, nausea, exhaustion, and other symptoms, allowing them to be comfortable and engaged in activities they like. Palliative care provides emotional and spiritual support to patients and their families, assisting them in coping with the hardships of serious illness. Counselling, bereavement support, and spiritual direction are examples of such services.

Comfort and familiarity

Patients are typically calmer and more comfortable in their own homes, which might enhance their overall well-being.

Improved contact with healthcare professionals

Palliative care teams are accessible to answer questions and give support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which can help enhance communication with healthcare providers.

Improved interaction with healthcare professionals

Palliative care teams are accessible to answer questions and give support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which can help enhance communication with healthcare providers.

Case Study

A daughter's journey with her father's alzheimer's

Punita's personal experience of caring for her father with dementia, she hope to encourage others to openly talk about the challenges and the best ways to handle such health issues. The stigma surrounding these conditions often leads to families feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, hiding, and not seeking help, which is much needed while caring for elders suffering from such health issues. These conditions are not personality or character flaws; they are diseases that affect millions of people worldwide, and they are not something to be ashamed of. "It's not always easy to walk the talk, but now more than ever, she believe palliative care is the best approach for treating those in terminal conditions. Her first-hand experience has shown that palliative care surpasses other treatment procedures. It prioritizes comfort, dignity, and overall well-being, encompassing physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects. Palliative care can be provided at any stage of a serious illness, not just end-of-life. It complements and enhances traditional treatments, ensuring that patients receive the best possible care.

"To read more about the amazing journey where Palliative care and Dolls brought Life back into my father's life, click Here.

References

1) What are palliative care and hospice care?

2) Goswami, S. (2021, July 21). Home Based Palliative Care. Intech Open eBooks. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98648I In Text Citation: (Goswami, 2021)

3) World Health Organization Programme on Cancer Control: Developing a Global Strategy for Cancer WHO, Geneva (1998)

4) Cancer Pain Relief with a Guide to Opioid Availability (2nd edition), WHO, Geneva (1996)