Discover Comfort with Personalized Palliative Care

Palliative care manages and supports the complex needs of individuals experiencing serious and chronic medical conditions. It brings together knowledge from different healthcare disciplines to help people receive the care they need.

The term “palliative care” is often used in conjunction with hospice care, but these forms of care are not synonymous. Both take a holistic approach to support the overall well-being of those with serious illnesses; however, hospice is reserved for clients who have chosen to forgo curative treatment for a life-limiting illness and likely will live six months or less.

Palliative care is available for a broader range of conditions and can coincide with curative treatments. In some cases, a person may transition seamlessly from palliative care to hospice care. Others may remain in palliative care indefinitely or use it to enhance their well-being until they can recover from a medical condition.

Palliative care is available for anyone with a serious illness or medical condition who wants to increase their physical comfort, outlook, and overall quality of life. Those with chronic conditions can especially benefit from palliative care.

Palliative care encompasses a range of services tailored to the client’s needs. These may include:

• Education about the condition
• Symptom management
• Emotional and psychological support
• Spiritual care
• Social support
• Care coordination

Although standard medical treatment may seem to meet a client’s basic needs, this approach tends to fall short of supporting the person’s well-being on a more comprehensive level. Palliative care aims to support all aspects of a person’s well-being and enrich their life, even amid difficult circumstances. Plus, palliative care can coordinate various aspects of care to ensure all pieces fit together seamlessly.

Yes! Unlike hospice care, palliative care is fully compatible with any type of curative treatment. Clients may use palliative care to help coordinate the various aspects of their medical care, achieve more holistic support, and manage side effects from medications or procedures used to treat their conditions.

A client’s initial visit will be spent with their designated nurse practitioner, who will direct and coordinate their palliative care. The nurse practitioner will speak with the client about their goals for palliative care and create a plan to support them in the ways that matter to them.

Typically, medical providers refer their patients to palliative care if they believe it would be beneficial. However, patients can also inquire for themselves about palliative care. Interested individuals are welcome to contact the WesleyLife palliative care team directly or speak with their doctor about this option.

Insurance policies often cover at least some aspects of palliative care. Generally, palliative care services are covered by Medicare, though they may involve a copayment. A client’s palliative care team can help ensure services are covered by insurance wherever possible to minimize out-of-pocket costs.

Palliative care supports families and caregivers in a number of ways. One major way is through care coordination. Loved ones are often tasked with managing multiple doctors and treatments. A palliative care director can take on that role, speaking with various doctors, comparing prescriptions, and ensuring the client’s care is seamlessly coordinated.

Palliative care can also involve educating family members and caregivers on the client’s condition(s) and the best ways to support them. Palliative care providers can work hand in hand with family caregivers to ensure their loved one receives the best care possible.

Traditionally, palliative care takes place in a hospital or clinical setting. However, WesleyLife is breathing new life into the palliative care model by primarily meeting people in their homes. By coming to our clients, the WesleyLife palliative care team makes care more comfort-oriented and convenient.

Pain management is often an aspect of palliative care. Because care is coordinated by a nurse practitioner, clients can benefit from professional experience and expertise about the best ways to manage pain. Nurse practitioners can order medications when needed or recommend over-the-counter medications and at-home remedies to enhance comfort.

Advance care planning (ACP) is the process of discussing intentions and making arrangements for future medical care. It’s wise for a person experiencing a chronic medical condition to talk with their family and any caregivers about their desires for the future, depending on the progression of their condition. A person’s palliative care team can help with ACP.

Individuals with a wide variety of conditions can benefit from palliative care. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), conditions that may call for palliative care include:

• AIDS
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Chronic liver disease
• Chronic respiratory diseases
• Congenital anomalies
• Dementia
• Diabetes
• Drug-resistant tuberculosis
• Kidney failure
• Multiple sclerosis
• Neurological disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Clients are not limited in the amount of time they can receive palliative care. A person can choose to discontinue palliative care at any time, or they can continue to benefit from this form of care for years.

Supporting a person’s overall well-being goes beyond caring for their physical needs. Palliative care can involve counseling and support services from professionals such as social workers, therapists, and clergy members to help clients and their families navigate the challenges of a serious medical condition and feel fully supported.