Palliative care is non-medical care that focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. Palliative care can be used to improve the quality of life for patients and their families and help reduce medical costs. This article will discuss six signs it may be time to seek palliative care.
You’re Feeling Overwhelmed and Stressed Out
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, palliative care can help. Palliative care teams provide emotional support and resources to help you manage your illness. They can also connect you with counseling or support groups. They can also connect you with other services that may be helpful, such as counseling, hospice accounting solutions or social work services.
You’re Not Sleeping Well
Palliative care can also help if you’re not sleeping well. The team can work with you to develop a sleep plan that will help improve your quality of sleep. They can also provide medication and other therapies that may help. They may also recommend medications or treatments to help reduce pain and stress interfering with your sleep.
You’ve Lost Your Appetite
If you’ve lost your appetite, palliative care can help get it back. The team can help you develop a healthy eating plan, including food options that are easy to eat. They may also recommend nutritional supplements and medications that can help improve your appetite. They may also recommend nutritional supplements or vitamins if your appetite doesn’t return on its own after treatment for an underlying illness is complete.
You’re Having Trouble Concentrating or Making Decisions
Palliative care teams often include doctors and nurses with expertise in palliative medicine who will work closely with other members of the patient’s medical team. They listen carefully to understand all aspects of their patient’s experience and provide information and support about their condition and available treatments to make informed decisions together.
Your Energy Levels Are Low
If your energy levels are low, it might be time to seek palliative care. The team can help you develop a plan to increase your energy. They may also recommend activities or therapies that can help improve your energy level. Palliative care providers will work with you to get your energy levels back up by creating a schedule that helps you rest when needed and provides opportunities for physical activity.
Experiencing Pain or Discomfort That Isn’t Getting Better With Treatment
Palliative care is also helpful if the pain or discomfort from an illness isn’t getting better with treatment, despite a person’s best efforts to manage it. The team can work with you to develop a pain management plan that includes medications, therapies, and other methods. They may also recommend alternative treatments or techniques to help reduce pain. Palliative care providers can also provide support to caregivers who are helping manage a loved one’s pain.
Palliative care is a type of medical treatment for people experiencing serious illnesses. When the person has decided to live with their illness instead of fighting it, they can get palliative care to reduce pain and other symptoms while still living an active life. This process also helps caregivers (often family members) by providing them tools that will help them deal with certain difficult moments like when death becomes imminent or if there’s nothing more left that doctors can do.
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