World Hospice and Palliative Care Day recognizes the goal of improving the quality of life for people affected by serious health problems. Those that have life-limiting illnesses have the right to be cared for in the way that best suits their needs, and this holiday emphasizes the strength palliative care as a component of comprehensive care can make.
What is palliative care?
Palliative care is a specialty of medicine focused on pain, symptom and stress management of a serious illness through chronic disease management. This focus of care is an extra level of support to increase quality of life and allows patients to remain at home — or wherever they call home — alleviating multiple trips back and forth to the hospital. Anyone who is severely or chronically ill in search of pain and symptom management can benefit from palliative care.
3 Key Characteristics of Palliative Care
- It is offered to patients who are seriously ill to be used alongside curative and other treatments.
- It does not replace care by a family care physician, but rather addresses symptoms and care management.
- It is not dependent on a set criteria or treatment options and can provide patients and families with assistance for advanced care planning and help guide goals of care discussions.
What is hospice care?
Hospice care offers patients and families a holistic approach to care focusing on alleviating symptoms, pain and stress and providing education and life enrichment programs. With a dedication to providing above-and-beyond hospice care, Paradigm Health and our community-based hospice care team collaborate with an individual’s physician to establish a unique plan of care intentional on enriching daily life no matter where patients call home. Paradigm Health knows that each hospice journey is unique to a patient’s wishes and goals of care. As an accredited hospice care provider, our team can provide the care and resource-based education for patients and families to maximize each day’s quality of life.
What is the Paradigm Health Bridge Program?
The Paradigm Health Palliative Bridge Program uses a team approach to meet the physical, cultural, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of patients and families in advanced stages of chronic illness by helping to bridge the gap between curative treatment and end-of-life care. Our palliative team is composed of an interdisciplinary group of specialists including nurse practitioners, social workers, and other team members that strive to support, educate and improve quality of life.
For more information call us at (317) 735-6001
