There often seems to be some confusion about the difference between palliative care and end of life care, and while there are similarities, they are in fact two separate entities.
As live in carers you are certain to come across both situations if you have been a carer for any length of time.
Both phrases, palliative care and end of life care, involve a different aspect of the client and their situation progression.
This is a term used when a person has an illness that cannot be cured. Palliative care is set in place to make the person as comfortable as possible by managing any pain symptoms. Palliative care, when offered by professional organisations also includes psychological, spiritual and social support.
The support offered is for both the client and their families, if they choose. It is often referred to as a holistic approach because it deals with the person as a whole, rather than with just the illness.
Many organisations offer palliative care as soon as a person finds out that they have a life-limiting, or terminal, disease.
Palliative care offers ways to reduce pain and give the best quality of life possible to both the patient and their family.
This is normally specialized medical care focusing on providing pain relief and coping with any side effects of medical treatment. Unlike end of life care, palliative care does not depend on whether a person can be cured or not.
Normally this is provided by a team which includes doctors, nurses, trained specialists, social workers and often chaplains.
End of life care is in fact a form of palliative care which people can receive when they are close to the end of life.
End of life care is often considered when a person is approaching the end of life and if they are expected to die within a year or so., even though this is not always easy to predict.
End of life care in a term used for when people are nearing death although it is also used for people who have other situations such as:
This is a very good question and one that cannot be answered accurately because every situation is different.
End of life is recommended to start when the person needs it, and it may go on for days, weeks or even months, occasionally more than a year.
The aim of end of life care is to support people who are in the last part of their lives, to help them have a good quality of life until they pass away and then to die with dignity.
Any professional company who handles end of life patients will ask the person and their family about their wishes and preferences regarding care. They will also support family and loved ones.
Several people may be involved in end of life care, namely health and social care workers, hospital doctors and nurses, the local GP, community nurses and hospice staff. There are often occupational therapists and physiotherapists involved in end of life care.
Considering that the goal of both end of life and palliative care is to ensure that our client has the best quality of life that they can, it seems a valid point to say that live-in carers are more than adequately qualified to help out with both situations, because this is the goal of the carer, namely to help a client to remain in their own home for as long as possible and enjoy their life as they wish.
While it is always a good idea to have other people involved in both palliative and end of life care, there is a place for a live-in carer in both situations.
Many people are adamant that they prefer to die in their own homes and this is where a live-in carer plays a vital role, helping them through both palliative care and end of life care.
When someone is at the end of life or even still in the palliative care stage, caring can be challenging. It can also be rewarding.
It is a good idea to have some important items at hand, such as family telephone numbers, doctor and district nurses contact details, and the name of who you should contact in an emergency.
This way you will be able to spend quality time with a client and help them to enjoy every moment that they can.
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