Palliative Care

What is Palliative Care

Palliative care is designed to provide relief from symptoms from serious illnesses and side effects of treatments. Patients can receive palliative care while working towards a cure or transitioning to end of life care. The diagnosis of a serious illness does not always require hospice services.

What Palliative Care Can Offer

Provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms (physical, psychosocial, and spiritual)
Helps to manage the stress of living with a serious illness
Integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care
Offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible and adjust to changes in abilities
Offers a support system to help families cope
Uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families
Helps to make a plan for end-of-life care

Conditions which Could Benefit From Palliative Care

Myths of Palliative Care

Palliative Care is only for people who are dying.

Patients can receive palliative care at any stage of a serious illness. The goal of palliative care is to provide an extra layer of support and increase patients’ comfort by addressing their physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Palliative Care is only provided in a hospital.

Palliative Care can be provided wherever the patient lives – home, long-term care facility, hospice, or hospital.

Palliative Care is only for patients diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Palliative care can help people with virtually any serious condition – at any stage of illness — including terminal cancer. For example, palliative care is for people with kidney, liver, lung and heart disease, diabetes, dementia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, among many others.

Palliative Care is another term for hospice.

Palliative care can be given to patients at any stage of illness. Hospice care is a form of palliative care that is given near the end of life, when the patient is expected to have six months or less to live.

Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care

Palliative Care

Hospice Care

Length of Care

Begins at the onset of diagnosis, treatment may last until patient is cured or transitioned to end of life.

Six months or longer if physician certifies.

Goals of Care

Symptom management can be provided simultaneously with curative treatment.

Comfort & quality of life.

Cost

Before we initiate services, our liaisons will work with you to understand any out-of-pocket expense.

In most cases 100% of all costs are covered.

Start of Service

Any stage of treatment.

Patient begins at later stage of illness with end stage prognosis.

Length of Care

Palliative Care

Begins at the onset of diagnosis, treatment may last until patient is cured or transitioned to end of life.

Hospice Care

Six months or longer if physician certifies.

Goals of Care

Palliative Care

Symptom management can be provided simultaneously with curative treatment.

Hospice Care

Comfort & quality of life.

Cost

Palliative Care

Before we initiate services, our liaisons will work with you to understand any out-of-pocket expense.

Hospice Care

In most cases 100% of all costs are covered.

Start of Service

Palliative Care

Any stage of treatment.

Hospice Care

Patient begins at later stage of illness with end stage prognosis.

Who Pays for Home Health Care?

Certified home health care services are ordered by a physician, require skilled care, and is typically paid for by Medicare or other health insurances plans.