What is Palliative Care?
What is Palliative Care?
While hospice care and palliative care are similar, there are a few key differences. Palliative care is specialized medical support for people dealing with serious illnesses. It is aimed toward easing pain, stress, and other symptoms associated to the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life—no matter the age or stage of illness. While hospice care is aimed towards people that are near the end of life and have stopped treatments aimed at curing their illness. Palliative care, on the other hand, can be given at any time—even while someone is still getting treatment aimed towards cure.
Common conditions treated by palliative care include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, chronic heart failure (CHF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), muscular dystrophy (MS), Parkinson’s disease, pulmonary fibrosis, stroke, and others.
What are the Benefits of Palliative Care?
What are the Benefits of Palliative Care?
Palliative care is available to anyone living with a serious illness or terminal disease. This type of care can be provided in any setting: at home, in a hospital, nursing home or assisted living facility, or other outpatient setting. Our specially trained nurse practitioners provide most palliative care, in coordination with the patient’s primary care doctor and specialists.
Palliative care is available in select locations. Please call 865-694-4848 for more information.
- Relief from symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, or anxiety
- Emotional support for patients and their families
- Help with making medical decisions and understanding treatment options and overall health
- Support for caregivers, including guidance and resources
- Better coordination of care between doctors, nurses, and specialists
- Advance care planning, which means talking about and documenting your wishes for future medical care—so your healthcare team and loved ones know what matters most to you