Does Palliative Care Mean Death is Imminent?

Palliative care experts assure us that there is far more to palliative care than making a dying person comfortable in an end-of-life situation.

Patients with severe illnesses that are not terminal, and their family members, also benefit from receiving palliative care. 
Teams providing palliative care anticipate, prevent, diagnose, and treat symptoms in people with serious illnesses. They also help people make critical medical decisions.

Palliative care is not hospice care. Experts define hospice care as being administered to those within six months of approaching death, while the well-being of anyone caught up in a life-changing medical situation can be improved through receiving palliative care.

Palliative care is also more than administering pain-relieving or calming drugs —it’s intended to improve the quality of life for everyone, including patients and family members.

A palliative care team offers medical information, emotional support and can provide home health care. It usually includes a doctor, a nurse, and a social worker. 

Teams can call in optional team members to fill particular needs. These additional team members may be counselors, nurses, chaplains, dietitians, pharmacists, rehabilitation specialists, physical therapists, physicians, art and music therapists, massage therapists, and home health aides.

A good palliative care team provides many services, including:

• Expert treatment of pain and symptoms associated with the illness.
  

• Free discussion about treatment choices and symptoms.
  

• Coordination with healthcare providers.
  

• Advice to help you navigate the healthcare system.
  

• Making transiting to or from the hospital, a nursing home, or home care go smoothly.
  

• Providing spiritual, practical, and emotional support for both patient and family.
  

Here are some questions that you may want to ask your palliative care team.

• What can I expect from working with my team?
  

• Where will you work with me? At home? In a hospital? In a hospice?
  

• Who will be on my team?
  

• How can I contact my team members?
  

• What do you recommend for my care?
  

• What decisions will need to be made by my family and me?
  

• Will you explain clearly the issues involved in making decisions?
  

• What can you do about severe pain and relieving any symptoms?
  

• What support will family and caregivers receive?
  

• Will you still support me if I move to another location?
  

There is no single, one-size-fits-all model for a palliative care team. It's best if you take charge of inviting the team members administering your palliative care so that you get the best experts for your situation.

If you feel that assembling your team is beyond you, talk to your palliative care team members. They will be happy to advise you.