What Is Meant by Palliative Care?
Palliative care encompasses services aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals confronting serious or life-threatening illnesses, like cancer, whether they are pursuing curative treatment or not. This holistic approach focuses on addressing the medical condition and the broader aspects of the individual's well-being, including psychological, social, and spiritual needs. The primary objective is to manage symptoms and treatment side effects promptly and comprehensively, beginning as early as possible. Palliative care services can be delivered in different settings, such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, outpatient clinics, or the patient's residence, under the supervision of skilled healthcare professionals. It is available to people of any age or disease stage.
Numerous approaches utilized in cancer treatment, such as medications and specific interventions, can be adapted for palliative purposes to alleviate patient discomfort. For instance, chemotherapy or radiation therapy might be administered to impede the progression of a painful tumor. Alternatively, surgical procedures could be employed to excise a mass, exerting pressure on nerves and inducing pain.
How Is Palliative Therapy Different from Hospice Care?
Palliative care can initiate at any stage of cancer treatment, while hospice care commences when curative treatment is discontinued, prioritizing quality of life. Palliative care aids patients and their families in transitioning from disease-focused treatment to hospice care by:
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Educating them about potential physical changes as life nears its end.
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Assisting in managing the array of emotional and psychological challenges that emerge.
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Offering support to both family members and caregivers.
What Aspects Are Tackled Within Palliative Care?
Palliative care is designed to address a wide array of concerns that vary from person to person when dealing with cancer and its treatment. A specialist in palliative care takes into consideration the following issues for each patient:
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Physical Well-Being: Palliative care targets common physical symptoms like pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and insomnia.
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Emotional and Coping Strategies: Specialists in palliative care provide support resources to help patients and their families navigate the emotional difficulties linked to a cancer diagnosis and treatment, addressing issues such as depression, anxiety, and fear.
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Spiritual Exploration: With a cancer diagnosis, individuals often seek deeper meaning in their lives. Palliative care professionals help patients and families explore their beliefs and values to find peace or acceptance that aligns with their situation.
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Support for Caregivers: Recognizing the crucial role of family and friends in cancer care, palliative care extends support to caregivers, who often experience overwhelming responsibilities and stress. Addressing their needs, including emotional support and practical assistance, is essential.
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Practical Assistance: Palliative care specialists offer guidance on financial, legal, and insurance matters, as well as employment concerns. They facilitate discussions about care goals, advance directives, and effective communication among family members, caregivers, and the oncology team.
What Are the Types of Palliative and Supportive Care?
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For Children: Palliative and supportive care is crucial for children with cancer and their families. Regardless of the child's age or stage of disease, a crucial aspect of the treatment plan is prioritizing the prevention and reduction of treatment side effects. Consult the healthcare team before the child begins cancer treatment. Inquire about the potential side effects of each treatment and available palliative and supportive care options. Inform the healthcare team promptly if the child experiences new or worsening side effects, enabling prompt treatment. Additionally, inquire about available services to assist the child in coping with the various challenges associated with cancer. This may involve accessing resources such as child life specialists. Many facilities also provide supportive services for the patient's family members, including access to family therapists or participation in support groups tailored for parents and siblings.
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For Older Adults: Palliative and supportive care holds particular significance for individuals aged 65 and above diagnosed with cancer. Older adults often experience heightened physical side effects, particularly from chemotherapy, and may exhibit slower recovery rates following surgery compared to previous instances. Additionally, this demographic is more prone to having concurrent medical conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes, necessitating management alongside their cancer treatment.
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For Loved Ones: Palliative and supportive care extends beyond the individual with cancer to encompass support for their loved ones, including caregivers and children. Family members often play a crucial role in providing physical, practical, and emotional assistance to the person with cancer, known as caregiving. However, caregivers themselves may encounter stress, anxiety, depression, and frustration. Palliative and supportive care aids caregivers in managing these challenges while maintaining their well-being, which is essential for effective caregiving. For parents with cancer who have young children, additional support may be necessary, such as assistance with childcare or meal preparation, enabling them to allocate more time for treatment and recovery. Accessing resources like after-school care can be beneficial in this regard. Healthcare teams or social workers can assist in identifying palliative and supportive care services tailored to the needs of caregivers and other family members.
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After Treatment: Palliative and supportive care may remain necessary even after the completion of cancer treatment and during long-term survivorship. Following treatment, individuals may experience lingering physical side effects or encounter new ones, known as "late effects." It is important to discuss with the doctor whether the specific treatment regimen is likely to lead to any late effects. Exploring the long-term and late effects of cancer treatment is essential. Palliative care specialists can assist in addressing these late effects, which constitutes a crucial aspect of survivorship care. Cancer rehabilitation services might be recommended to manage these late effects effectively. Incorporating treatment for late effects into the follow-up care plan is vital. Collaborate with the doctor to develop a survivorship care plan tailored to the needs for recovery post-cancer treatment.
What Are the Palliative Treatments Available?
1. Palliative Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy can be provided to patients in a variety of ways, which are explained below:
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Chemotherapy for Curing - This type of chemotherapy helps in curing cancer like leukemia.
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Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy - It is a partial curative therapy wherein the cancer is shrunk to a smaller size using chemotherapy before surgery to remove the cancerous tissue.
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Adjuvant Chemotherapy - This type of chemotherapy is given after the surgery has been performed to kill any remaining cancerous tissues, like in breast cancer patients. Also, it will help prevent the recurrence of cancer.
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Palliative Chemotherapy - It will not cure cancer but can help in shrinking cancer to minimize the symptoms, and also, in a few cases, it may prolong the life expectancy of the patients.
2. Palliative Radiation Therapy:
This therapy is also used, like chemotherapy. The aim is also similar: to minimize the symptoms, even though cancer cannot be cured with this. This type of radiation is helpful in patients suffering from pain in the bone due to metastases of cancer, etc. Along with certain medications that can cause certain side effects, palliative radiation can improve the quality of life in such patients.
Conclusion:
Palliative care is an adjunct to improve the symptoms, quality of life, and life expectancy. But it cannot cure cancer. It is important to talk to the physician about the requirements and the symptoms they are facing. Online medical platforms have made searching and consulting a specialist job easy. Hence, consult a palliative care specialist online to know more about this.
