Senior Resources Southeast WI Directory

D

W HAT IS P ALLIATIvE C ARE ?

o you, or someone you love, have a serious illness such as cancer, heart failure, lung disease or kidney failure? If so, you may be sick of trips to the emergency room and unwanted hospital stays to treat pain, shortness of breath or other symptoms. Palliative care can help you stay safely at home. Palliative care is care that is focused on comfort and relief of physical and emotional symp toms of disease. As a disease progresses, pain and other symptoms can increase and have an impact on a person’s quality of life. Thus, palliative care focuses on improving quality of life and helping manage pain and other symptoms of the disease. It can relieve symptoms and distress and help a person cope with everyday challenges of living with the illness. Palliative care can help individu als carry on with daily life and enjoy doing what they love most. People get help with under standing the disease and various treatment options to improve their ability to go through med ical treatments. This helps match each individual’s goals to their treatment choices. Family and other caregivers also benefit from the support.

Palliative care can be provided at the same time as home health care at home or during a rehab stay at a skilled nursing facility. As the care team helps with making medical decisions, the nurse practitioner can prescribe and save unnecessary doctor or hospital visits, and will com municate updates with other doctors involved. Palliative care is covered by insurance. There is a copay. This care is viewed as a special ty provider visit, similar to that of a cardiologist or oncologist. It is covered under Medicare part B, private insurance, Medicaid, and Family Care. Supplemental insurance may cover copays. People commonly confuse pal liative care and hospice care. They are different. Palliative care can be given at any stage of a disease. Hospice care is only available for patients who have six months or less to live. You do not need to meet any eligibility requirements to receive palliative care. Article submitted by Heartland Hospice

Support is provided by a care team, which is led by a nurse practitioner, and can involve a social worker and spiritual care. A physician is available for consultation as well. Patients and families are the focus of the care team. The Nurse Practitioner is trained in comfort care. The nurse practitioner works with the patient’s doctor to guide the plan of care. The Social Worker is available to assist with practical matters such as insurance forms or other legal forms. They help with arrangements for other emotional support as well. Spiritual care can provide emotional support during hard times. They are there to listen without judgment and can guide talks about hope and spiritual wellness. Support is based the individ ual’s values and beliefs. Care is provided wherever the person calls home. It can be at their residence, an assisted liv ing facility, a group home, or a skilled nursing facility.

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