When you or a loved one is diagnosed with a serious illness that impacts quality of life, palliative care at home can help. Our patients receive relief from symptoms, as well as from side effects and stress resulting from a serious illness, in the comfort of home. Our primary goal is to improve quality of life for our patients and their families. With symptoms well-managed, you can feel better and do the things that are most important to you.
WHAT DOES PALLIATIVE CARE INVOLVE?
Living with a serious or life-threatening illness can feel like a blur of hospitalizations and emergency room visits. Palliative care at home reduces this strain by bringing many treatments to you.
Our palliative care specialists come to your home – wherever you call home – to help manage symptoms, provide education, coordinate transitions of care in collaboration with your primary care provider, and establish your individualized goals of care. We’ll help you get the right care at the right time based on your treatment goals.
Anyone with a serious illness may receive palliative care services. To get started, you’ll need a referral and order from your doctor. Care begins with an assessment, so we can understand your needs and create a plan tailored to you. Palliative services are often funded by the NHS.
There are various types of palliative care. Depending on your needs, you may receive:
Help establishing personalized goals of care
A holistic approach to care that addresses the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of each patient and family
Coordination of care with your primary care or consulting physicians based on your goals of treatment
Coordination of transitions of care between different care settings
Relief and management of symptoms related to your palliative diagnosis
Self-care tools for coping with stress and anxiety
Education about disease processes and treatment options
Help for loved ones troubleshooting caregiving demands and pressures
When a patient is facing a serious disease, their needs often range from medical to social, spiritual and emotional. That’s why we take a holistic approach that addresses these areas.
IS PALLIATIVE TREATMENT RIGHT FOR YOU?
Palliative care at home can help people with any serious illness, including:
Heart disease
Cancer
Kidney disease
Parkinson’s disease
End-stage organ failure (frequently of the heart, kidneys or liver)
Stroke
Multiple sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease
When is the right time for palliative care?
You may want to consider palliative treatment if you:
GOALS OF PALLIATIVE CARE
The goal of palliative care is to provide patient-centred, family-focused care to improve patients’ quality of life. For many patients, this means alleviating pain and other symptoms that often come with serious illnesses. It can also include meeting your emotional, social and spiritual needs and helping you and your caregiver navigate treatment options. We help patients feel as safe and comfortable as possible, so they can focus on making the most of their daily life.
Symptoms that often improve with palliative care include:
Pain
Nausea or vomiting
Anxiety, depression or sadness
Constipation or diarrhoea
Breathing difficulties
Trouble sleeping
Fatigue
Confusion
Loss of appetite
THE BENEFITS OF PALLIATIVE CARE
Our palliative care program helps both patients and their families. Loved ones learn about the patient’s disease process and treatment options. This can make difficult decisions a bit easier and ease the stress of caregiving.
For patients, some of the benefits of palliative care often include:
Patients do not have to be at the end of their life to begin receiving palliative care at home. In fact, starting care during the earlier stages of an illness can be the most beneficial. Reach out to the Amedisys palliative care facility near you. We’ll answer your questions and help you get started with a palliative care consult.
