Living with a progressive, chronic illness can be daunting for both you and your loved ones. But with compassionate palliative care in place, you can get the care and support you need to live well no matter what challenges you face.
Palliative care is a specialist type of care designed to improve the quality of life of people living with a life-limiting illness by not only providing practical care in managing symptoms but also emotional and psychological support. Although palliative care is often sought in the final stages of a person’s life to help keep them as comfortable as possible, it can be introduced much earlier to ensure they get consistent and comprehensive care and support as soon as they are diagnosed.
Knowing when someone should be offered palliative care can be challenging for individuals and their families. In this guide, we’ll explore why doctors may recommend it, what conditions it is suitable for, and when palliative care should be offered.
Why do doctors recommend palliative care?
A doctor is often the first person to bring up palliative care, often following the diagnosis of a terminal illness like cancer or dementia. Although this can seem daunting at first, thinking about palliative care in the early stages can help set out your wishes about the care you would like to receive as your condition progresses.
Here are some of the common situations in which doctors may suggest palliative care:
Following diagnosis of a chronic condition
A doctor may discuss palliative care options with you when they first diagnose a terminal or life-limiting condition. Although this may seem daunting and a lot to take in, it’s important to remember that contrary to what many people believe, palliative care is not just for helping people at the end of life. Palliative care is actually there to provide support at all stages of a terminal diagnosis. It is a good idea to start thinking about palliative care and the different options available early so that you can put the right plans in place for you and your loved ones as the condition progresses.
To complement other treatments
Palliative care doesn’t replace other medical treatments, and it doesn’t mean that your healthcare team is giving up on you or that no treatment options are available. In many cases, palliative care is started at the same time as curative treatments such as chemotherapy. Starting palliative care in the early stages of your condition can also ensure that you already have consistent care and are familiar with your carers before your condition progresses.
When there are no other treatment options
Palliative care can also be offered when your healthcare team feels there are no further curative treatments available. At this stage, the focus of palliative care will shift from treatment to symptom relief and pain management to minimise the impact the condition has on your day-to-day life for as long as possible.
It can be hard to come to terms with the fact that there are no further treatment options available, but helping you come to terms with your prognosis is an important aspect of palliative care. As a result, palliative carers also provide emotional, psychological, and practical support to help you manage all aspects of your well-being.
What conditions qualify for palliative care?
Palliative care is suitable for any chronic, life-limiting, or terminal condition.
This can include:
- Advanced cancers
- Chronic lung disease
- Motor Neurone disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Dementia
- Advanced heart disease
When should palliative care be offered?
Many people believe palliative care is only offered towards the end of a person’s life, but this is a misconception. Palliative care can be offered at any stage of a life-limiting illness (including end-of-life), and some people enjoy the support of palliative care for years.
Doctors and other healthcare professionals can offer advice about the likely development of your symptoms, which can help you decide when palliative care might be right. But ultimately, deciding when palliative care is right for you is a personal choice.
Things to think about when considering palliative care
When thinking about when to start palliative care, it is important to consider the below questions:
- How will your condition progress?
- Are you likely to experience a slow decline or will it be more rapid?
- What treatment options are available to prolong your life?
- What are the side effects of any treatment options?
- What does quality of life mean to you?
- How would you like to be cared for?
- At what stage might you consider stopping all treatments?
Talking through the questions with your family and loved ones is important as they may want to be able to help with your care and support, too.
What’s the difference between palliative care and hospice care?
Hospice care and palliative care are both forms of care designed to offer pain relief and symptom management to support people with a life-limiting condition to live well for as long as possible. The only real difference is that palliative care can be offered at home, whereas hospice care usually involves staying in a hospice facility for a period.
Deciding whether hospice care or palliative care at home is right for you will depend on your circumstances.
To help you understand how each may work for you, we’ve addressed some of the benefits of each below:
Benefits of palliative care at home
- Remain in the comfort of your own home
- Stay close to family and loved ones
- Maintain your regular routine
- Support with day-to-day activities like cooking and light cleaning can be provided
- There are no restrictions on the number of visitors
- You get comprehensive support tailored to your specific needs
- Care can adapted as the condition progresses
Benefits of hospice palliative care
- You have access to specially trained doctors and nurses who can provide a broad range of medical services
- Offers many social activities, counselling, and alternative therapies
- There is often no set limit on how long you can stay
- Some offer day services
- Can provide respite for regular carers or family members
Does palliative care mean death?
No, palliative care does not mean death. While palliative care is designed for people with life-limiting conditions, you can receive this specialist care during any stage of your condition from diagnosis right up until end-of-life.
Although many people choose palliative care during the final stages of their illness, some enjoy the consistent support of palliative carers for years. This can include helping them through treatments designed to prolong their lives and throughout their final days.
How can I receive palliative care?
You will need a referral from your doctor, district nurse, or other healthcare professional to access palliative care through the NHS. NHS palliative care is free for UK residents and will normally include support from your usual GP as well as other health and social care professionals.
However, if you are looking for more comprehensive support with day-to-day life, you may want to seek out the services of specialist palliative home care providers like Trinity Homecare.
Trusted palliative home care from Trinity
If you’re looking for trusted palliative care that provides dignified support at whatever stage of your terminal condition, trust Trinity Homecare. For the past 25 years, we have provided the highest standards of palliative care in the comfort of people’s own homes.
We understand that the diagnosis of a life-limiting condition can be an isolating and frightening experience, but we passionately believe that it is absolutely possible to support people to live well as their condition progresses.
Trinity Homecare is a fully managed care agency with an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating, placing Trinity amongst the top 4% of all nationwide care companies in England. With this in mind, you can rest assured that your loved one will receive the highest standard of care and specialist support.
If you have any questions about arranging live-in palliative care, simply get in touch with our helpful and knowledgeable care team.
Arranging nationwide dementia care with Trinity is straightforward.
Simply follow these five steps:
- Call our care team
- Undergo a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your care needs and arrange a care assessment
- After the assessment, a plan of care is created
- A well-suited carer is found and placed
- Care can be adapted at any time
