Recently, I was acting as an advocate for someone living with cancer, who became very upset upon learning they were being given “palliative” radiation versus a “curing” regiment. The doctor explained that they didn’t think the patient was strong enough for a “curing” regiment and the cancer would return. However, the palliative treatment could reduce the pain, improve quality of life, and possibly even extend it. This was not what the patient wanted to hear. In fact, out of earshot of the doctor, this person voiced their dislike of the “P” word.
Palliative Care is not hospice. Another way to think of Palliative Care is comfort care. This specialty has all sorts of ways to improve day-to-day living by reducing pain, fatigue, stress, nausea etc. It doesn’t matter what your diagnosis is, whether it’s a chronic condition or a terminal one, what treatment plan you are on or how old you are. Palliative Care can be a wonderful asset at any stage and at any age.
Dr. Elaine Schattner, who writes from the experience of a patient (she had breast cancer) and an oncologist, has written an interesting article “Palliative Care Needs a New Spin.” Many people, doctors included, are ill-informed about this essential branch of medicine. As a result, it's rarely discussed, undervalued and underused.
The purpose of palliative care is to make patients feel better -- by managing pain, emphasizing nutrition and providing assistance in daily life. The goal is not, necessarily, to cure disease, but instead to help people cope with any chronic medical disorder.
I think that palliative care matters now more than ever. That's because medical advances have expanded patients' care choices to such a point that health care decisions can overwhelm individuals caught up in the immediacy of an illness. In a specialist-driven system that aims to eradicate disease, sometimes we overlook the simpler need to alleviate patients' discomfort and distress.
Get Palliative Care suggests the following ways to “get Palliative Care:”
The first step is to talk to your own doctor. Most of the time, you have to ask your doctor for a palliative care referral to get palliative care services. Whether you are in the hospital or at home, a palliative care team can help you. Following are some tips to help you talk to your doctor:
• Tell your doctor you are considering palliative care and ask what palliative services are available in your area. Obtain a list of providers for your state by going to http://www.getpalliativecare.org/providers
• Ask your doctor to explain your illness as well as past, current, and future treatments and procedures.
• Explain to your doctor what quality of life means to you. This list may include being able to spend time with loved ones, having pain and other distressing symptoms aggressively treated, the ability to make your own decisions for care and your preferred location of treatments (home vs. in the hospital).
• Be sure your doctor is aware of any personal, religious, or cultural beliefs, values, or practices that are important to consider in your care and treatment decisions.
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