Tag: hospice care

The Comprehensive Guideline to Hospice and Palliative Care

Posted on by Judah

Good morning friends,

Back in April of 2012, I published a lengthy and informative article here, outlining the nuances of palliative care and hospice care and attempted to distinguish between them.

The differences may be subtle but they exist and can be properly quantified.

I mentioned at the time that at Regency Nursing Centers, we do both with great compassion and devotion.

Since then, Palliative care has seen much press within the healthcare community and I’ve been keeping close tabs on the dialogue.

A new review says palliative care’s association with end of life has created an “identity problem” that means the majority of patients facing a serious illness do not get the benefit of treatment for the physical and psychological symptoms that occur throughout their disease.

The editorial is co-authored by palliative care experts at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, the American Cancer Society, and Johns Hopkins University, and is prominently featured in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The authors collectively posit that palliative care should be pro-actively incorporated within the framework of standard medical care for those patients suffering from serious illnesses rather then being applied re-actively after all other treatments have failed.

The authors say that in order for palliative care to be used appropriately, clinicians, patients, and the general public must learn the fundamental differences between palliative care and hospice care, a distinction that is not well-known (again, I tackled this almost two years ago).

The authors further cite that seven in ten Americans describe themselves as “not at all knowledgeable” about palliative care, and most health care professionals believe it is synonymous with end-of-life (hospice) care.

While both are intended to relieve suffering, hospice care provides care for people in the last phases of an incurable disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible.

However, Palliative care is an area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients. Unlike hospice care, palliative medicine is appropriate for patients in all disease stages, including those undergoing treatment for curable illnesses and those living with chronic diseases, as well as patients who are nearing the end of life. Palliative care focuses on helping patients get relief from symptoms caused by serious illness and is appropriate at any age or stage in a serious illness.

For more information visit this website.

Palliative and Hospice Care: Where the Lines Blur

Palliative and Hospice Care: Where the Lines Blur

Posted on by Judah

 Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care

With the plethora of different levels of care available to patients who are stricken with illnesses, there tends to be confusion when it comes to distinguishing between similar but different treatment programs.

One of the most misunderstood distinctions is as it pertains to the difference between hospice and palliative care.

While both of these programs focus primarily on the quality of life of the patient, the fact is the level of treatment and care can vary quite a bit between these two methodologies.

In this article, I shall attempt to define and distinguish between these two programs.

Palliative Care: is an area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients. Unlike hospice care, palliative medicine is appropriate for patients in all disease stages, including those undergoing treatment for curable illnesses and those living with chronic diseases, as well as patients who are nearing the end of life.

When a patient is being treated in a palliative care program, the focus is primarily but not exclusively limited to enhancing and addressing their quality of life. There should also be an emphasis placed on treating (and hopefully curing) the patient.

Hospice Care: Hospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient’s symptoms. These symptoms can be physical, emotional, spiritual or social in nature. A patient in a hospice setting wouldn’t typically receive any kind of medically invasive treatment and/or drug, save for something to alleviate pain. There are no goals and/or objectives to treat or cure the patient and therefore all associated programs are discontinued and every attempt is made to keep the patient comfortable as they approach their end of life.

Where the lines get fuzzy…

The problem arises when there is a confluence between these two programs and caregivers start treating their palliative patients as if they were on hospice. This approach is both medically and morally wrong and it is unfortunately something we are seeing with an alarming increase in frequency.

A palliative patient is NOT a hospice patient and although (like a hospice patient) they and their families have placed a great emphasis on easing their pain (whether emotional and/or physical) and increasing their quality of life, the fact remains that they wish to be treated and cured.

Unfortunately, this egregious deviation in care is sometimes perpetuated by certain hospitals and care centers that chart and recommend a course of action for their patients based too heavily on statistical and financial considerations.

The Regency Commitment

At Regency Nursing & Rehabilitation centers, we respect the differences between these two programs and we collaborate with the patients, their families and their doctors, to treat them exactly according to their needs and desires.

In both instances however, whether we are administering palliative or hospice care, our mission is to focus on the individual right of the resident to function at their optimum level without debilitating pain or undue suffering.

We listen to the needs of the patient and we address their physical, spiritual and emotional suffering and we attempt to resolve their psychosocial concerns.

Our approach is one of maintaining and increasing the dignity and quality of life for all of our patients!

Regency Nursing Hospice Care

Regency Nursing Hospice Care

Posted on by Judah

One of the most difficult situations for a family member to be in is preparing for the end of a loved one’s life.  Regency Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers understand how trying a time this can be, and therefore offer a number of services to residents and family members to make the process as stress-free as possible.  In addition to the compassionate care provided, Regency also offers:

  ♥  Pain management
  ♥  Supplementary care through nurses, aides and volunteers
  ♥  Emotional and spiritual support for patients and family members.

One of Regency’s hospice representatives can offer further insight and provide detailed information regarding services, payment and qualification for hospice services. .