Palliative care means the requisite medical management of considerably ill, life-limited individuals and refers for the active, comprehensive treatment of distressing symptoms and other conditions connected with the approach of death. It includes a number of choices and factors to satisfy all the physiological, psychological, and spiritual aspects of the patient.
Among the options available in the treatment of the patients at their terminal stage, hospice care is very important. Hospice is structured for anyone with a diagnosis of a terminal illness, the estimated lifespan of which is less than six months, and this usually does not offer a curative course of treatment. Hospice care is designed to include nursing services, medical care, family counseling and other psychosocial services, and aides to help terminally ill people with such essentials as personal hygiene and feeding. Essentially, the purpose is to enhance the patient’s and his or her family’s quality of life.
Another is palliative care which is an additional treatment that can be administered along with curative therapy, at any point in a severe illness. Palliative care deals mainly with the physical symptoms, the pain, and the patients’ emotional and psychological well-being. The primary goal is to improve the life of a patient, which applies irrespective of the life-threatening disease stage.
One of the memorable pedagogical pearls when it comes to end-of-life care is advance care planning. It encompasses talking and recording patients’ choices of the treatment they want to receive, whether to be resuscitated or not, and other major decisions. Living will or an advance directive of the patient assists the doctors and relatives on how they should conduct themselves in managing the patient’s health.
Introducing of the principle of talkativeness is crucial in the care of patients who are in their last moments. Thus, communication is also a key factor of ensuring that both the patient and the family are on the same page with the healthcare provider regarding the patient’s decisions and what is possible in terms of care. It plays a vital role in arriving at decisions that embrace the patient’s right to self determination, and ensuring the patient receives the required comfort and dignity.
Thus, it can be stated that end-of-life care implies the reflection on several choices and the communication with patients. ;If comfort, quality of the terminal phase and the patient’s preferences are priorities, the end-of-life care can be helpful during this time.
