Palliative Care also known as end of life care

November 17, 2011 at 3:46 pm (end stage, family, medical language, medical terminology) (, , , , , )

as I tell my husband I have been reading the brochure on palliative care I can tell by the look on his face he is not at all sure what that means.  it occurred to me that many will see the brochure and have no idea what it is about and lose out on information that could really make their life and that of their terminally ill loved one tremendously better.

Palliative care is simply put, end of life care. not just for the dying patient but for the family/caregivers also.  why would caregivers need this service? if you have seen someone at the end of their rope, stressed out and feeling guilty about feeling stressed out then you know why they need this service.  it is without a doubt an invaluable service for the person passing on, it is also invaluable to the caregivers.  so many times out of love or guilt a family member takes on the staggering task of meeting the needs of the ill loved one.  they will deny themselves the very care they are providing to their loved one. 

since I have been told on more than one occasion that being in end stage is here, Chris and I have discussed what decisions may have to be made now rather than wait until we are in the middle of a health crisis. knowing ahead of time that we are in agreement of the steps we will and will not take relieves a burden before it gets here.  of course I am hoping to just go quietly in my sleep, no fuss.  the reality may be something quite different. better to be prepared and in agreement now than trying to work through all the emotion and decision making in the heat of the moment.

to know that someone could come in to our home and give Chris the time to go play bridge, or run errands is a comfort to me.  we are not there yet but I want to know what my options are.  this brings me back to the brochure. it troubles me that this nice medical term is being used to make people feel better about reading it while the very use of this term may prevent an average consumer from picking it up and using it.  I am not suggesting that the medical industry talk down to patients, just make sure we know what you are talking about. for me it helps to have the medical background and for many others who are familiar with the term that is great for you.  if life me there are certain gaps in your expertise you will know what I mean. 

it is my intention to write more about this in the coming days and I hope it will be useful and/or interesting to anyone passing through.  palliative care has been around for a while and seems to be more accessible than in the past. I encourage you to get all information available and be informed of your options and the support available to you.

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