Services

Offered in
Palliative
and Hospice
Care
Mangabat Allison Mae T
Palliative care

+ care that provides relief from symptoms resulting from disease

or injury.
+ In comparison to curative care, which is meant to cure a
disease,
+ palliative care is meant to make the patient more comfortable.
+ "to make a disease or its symptoms less severe or unpleasant
without removing the cause.”
Palliative Medicine

+ chronic, progressive pulmonary disorders; renal

disease; chronic heart failure; HIV/AIDS; progressive
neurological conditioners; cancer; etc. It focuses upon
+ the nature of treatment and the possible and
impossible outcomes of therapy options.
Palliative and supportive care
+ Cancer and cancer treatment often cause physical
symptoms and side effects, as well as emotional, social,
and financial effects.
+ Goal to relieve all of these side effects, symptoms, and
other effects which is an important part of cancer care.
Palliative and supportive care
+ works best when started as soon as you need it during the
treatment process.
+ People who receive palliative and supportive care along
with treatment for the cancer often have less severe
symptoms, better quality of life, and are more satisfied
with treatment.
Palliative Care Services

• Medication to relieve symptoms and side effects

• Radiation therapy or surgery, to relieve symptoms and side effects
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Nutritional changes
• Spiritual and emotional support, including counseling and
relaxation techniques
• Support for family caregivers or children
Palliative and supportive care

+ People may continue to need palliative and supportive care after cancer
treatment is complete and into long-term survivorship.

For instance, some physical side effects can last after treatment ends or new
side effects can appear later. Doctors call these "late effects." Ask your doctor
if your specific treatment is likely to cause any late effects. Learn more about
the long-term and late effects of cancer treatment.
+ Palliative care specialists can help treat late effects of cancer. This is an
important part of survivorship care.
+ Getting support for physical side effects
+ Physical side effects of cancer and its treatment depend on several
factors, can range from mild to severe, and often vary from person to
person.
+ Factors include the type of cancer, its stage, the treatment given, and your
general health. Physical side effects can include:
+ Pain
+ Fatigue (being very tired)
+ Nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite
+ Breathing problems, such as being short of breath
+ Sleep problems
+ Sexual health changes
emotional support
+ Palliative and supportive care options for mental health can
include counseling, exercise, meditation, and possibly
medication to help.
social support
+ Social support means having people around you who care for
you and help you with the challenges of cancer, its treatment,
and daily life.
+ This includes help from members of your cancer care team,
including social workers.
+ Palliative care requires a team of doctors, nurses, assistants, and
specialists.
+ Palliative care physician: A palliative care physician is a doctor who is
trained to consider palliative care in their practice. They might focus on
terminal illnesses such as cancer or heart failure.
+ Palliative nurse: Palliative nurses provide basic medical care and
sometimes offer counseling to patients.
+ Social worker: A social worker works on a palliative care team to
provide resources for patients, such as access to community-based
support, transportation, or therapy.
+ Therapist: Therapists are often part of palliative care to provide
emotional and mental health support to patients.
+ Hospice nurse: If and when patients switch from palliative to hospice
care, a hospice nurse is trained to specifically focus on quality of life,
comfort, and happiness in one’s final days.
+ Home health aide: Sometimes, palliative care is delivered at home.
A home health aide provides assistance with taking medication, cooking
and eating food, and other essential tasks.
Hospice care
+ provided to patients near the end of life, with a high risk of dying in
the next six months and who will no longer benefit from or have
chosen to forego further disease-related treatment.

+ The focus switches from life-prolonging or curative treatment to

comfort care.
+ The interdisciplinary team provides quality medical care to make the
patient as comfortable as possible, while supporting loved ones during
the dying process and with bereavement support after death.
Hospice care
+ brings together a team of people with special skills — among them
nurses, doctors, social workers, spiritual advisors, and trained
volunteers.
+ Everyone works together with the person who is dying, the caregiver,
and/or the family to provide the medical, emotional, and spiritual
support needed.
+ A member of the hospice team visits regularly, and someone is usually
always available by phone — 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Hospice may be covered by Medicare and other insurance companies.
Check to see if insurance will cover the person’s particular situation.
Hospice care
+ can be offered in two types of settings — at home or in a facility
such as a nursing home, hospital, or even in a separate hospice
center.
+ Hospice care can be provided in an individual's home, assisted
living, long-term care, hospice facility, and in hospitals. Hospice
care will neither hasten nor prolong the dying process; instead it
will optimize the quality of life for the time remaining.
+ Although hospice provides a lot of support, the day-to-day care
of a person dying at home is provided by family and friends.

+ The hospice team coaches family members on how to care for

the dying person and even provides respite care when caregivers
need a break. Respite care can be for as short as a few hours or
for as long as several weeks.
+ Hospices offer a wide variety of services, which may include:
• pain and symptom control
• trained staff that can provide care in your home
• psychological and social support
• rehabilitation, such as physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
These services aim to help people remain independent and
improve their quality of life
• complementary therapies, such as massage and aromatherapy
• spiritual care
• support for family members
• companionship and practical support to help people living at home
• financial advice
• bereavement support
• short break care for families, also known as respite care
• some hospices have dedicated rooms for parents to spend time with their child
after they have died
+ A hospice can have other services too, to meet the specific needs of their local
community.
+ For example, a hospice could have a transition lead to help young people
move into adult hospice services, or an inclusion lead to reach out to people in
the community who could really benefit from hospice care, but wouldn’t
normally come forward. They may also offer music and art therapy sessions.
• Bereavement support counsellors provide a space for you to talk about
your feelings and thoughts after someone has died. They can talk to you
individually or may facilitate group sessions so you can share your
experience with others who are also going through a bereavement. Some
hospices offer this service even if the person who has died was not cared for
by the hospice.
• Chaplains. Hospice chaplains are there if you want to talk to someone about
your feelings towards death and dying, your faith, or your spiritual beliefs.
They can talk to you whether you are of a particular faith or none at all.
• Children and family therapists support the children and family of
someone with a terminal illness through to bereavement. They can offer
counselling and practical help, and can liaise with schools and carers to help
them understand the impact of grief and bereavement.
• Complementary therapists can provide therapies such as
massage, aromatherapy and reflexology to help with relaxation
and ease symptoms like pain.
• Doctors. Hospice doctors are specialists in palliative care who
will usually oversee your care. They prescribe medication and
make recommendations to make sure you are as comfortable
and pain-free as possible.
• Healthcare assistants can help with giving medication,
applying wound dressings, and changing equipment like
catheters. They can be in the hospice or visit you at home.
• Nurses can be based in the hospice, and can also visit you at home.
There are nurses who specialise in particular conditions, such as
Admiral Nurses who are trained to support people with dementia.
Nurses may provide hands-on care, administer medication, and
closely monitor your symptoms make sure you get the care you need.
Some nurses have an advisory role, and can talk to you, your family
members and friends about your care.
• Occupational therapists can assess any equipment or home
adaptations you might need to make your day-to-day life easier, and
arrange for these to be delivered. They can also teach you techniques
for relaxation and to manage pain.
• Physiotherapists can teach you gentle exercises to keep you active
and help with mobility if necessary. Some hospices have gym
facilities.
• Play specialists provide play activities for children and young people
to help develop their physical, social and communication skills. They
can also provide activities to help children and young people manage
difficult experiences, like the death of a loved one or if a family
member is seriously ill.
• Social workers help with a variety of practical issues, like finding out
what benefits you’re entitled to, liaising with government departments
on your behalf, helping with paperwork, and sometimes counselling.
+ THANK YOU FOR LISTENING 
references

+ https://www.cancer.net/coping-with-cancer/physical-emotional-
and-social-effects-cancer/types-palliative-and-supportive-care

+ https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-palliative-care-and
-who-can-benefit-from-it-2019111118186
+ https://www.hospiceuk.org/information-and-support/your-guide
-hospice-and-end-life-care/im-looking-hospice-care/what-servic
es