Palliative Care

The word “palliative” means treating symptoms without trying to cure them. It is not meant to cure; it is meant to make the patient feel better.

People with a fatal disease still need care. The doctor needs to work to make them feel better and to make them more comfortable.

It is often done for cancer patients to increase comfort or to reduce pain when no cure is possible. Palliative care is not just for people with cancer. People with heart failure, for example, may be treated to get rid of chest pain or fatigue. With palliative care, you cannot cure the disease, but you can make the patient feel better. It may be used for any serious illness or disease that cannot be cured.

People often think that hospice care and palliative care are the same thing. They are not. Hospice care is a type of palliative care and is given only at the end of life. Palliative care can be long-term. A doctor can start to give a patient palliative care as soon as he or she has a diagnosis.

Unlike hospice care, palliative care can be given to patients who are expected to get better. An example would be treating nausea from cancer treatment in a patient who is expected to get better. Treating the nausea is not part of the cure, it is a way to give relief and improve the quality of life during treatment. It is Palliative.

A palliative care team may be found in hospitals, nursing homes, or certain clinics. It is a group of doctors, nurses and social workers, who work with the patient, family, and the patient's other doctors to give support. They can treat symptoms, give support and advice, or they can refer to community organizations or to other professionals. The team may have social workers who can answer questions about things like money issues or dealing with stress. There may be a chaplain to deal with spiritual issues. Team members may also offer advice about ways to improve care. They may teach things like breathing techniques, visualization, and stress relief.

Source: National Institute on Aging

Written by: Paul Varnas, DC, DACBN (Doctor of Chiropractic; Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Board of Nutrition). He has written and published numerous articles on the topics of exercise, wellness and nutrition.