What is Palliative, Hospice or End-of-life care?
Hospice and Palliative Care are end-of-life care services usually provided in nursing homes or speciality hospitals in India. Many don’t even know that such a service exists in our country. However, more recently a few Assisted Living centres are coming forward to associate with such service providers as many senior residents living in Assisted Living communities continue to grow older and need continuity of care especially after having undergone treatment for a chronic medical condition. Assisted Living communities realise the importance of this aspect and have including end-of-life-care in their service offerings while some of them have a trained care team on board to provide palliative care services to their residents as required.
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a broad term that involves the care provided to an elderly patient with an intent to relieve their pain and manage symptoms of serious chronic ailments such as heart disease, cancer, kidney disorders, stroke, parkinson and so on. Certain patients undergoing treatment for such ailments may need an integrated care approach at different levels such as emotional, spiritual and psychological care combined with clinical support to improve the quality of life during their treatment process.
How is Palliative Care different from Hospice Care?
Hospice care at an assisted living facility provides comforting care that aims to make suffering less severe and manage pain when a patient’s illness is no longer responding to treatment and there is no hope of recovery.
Palliative care on the other hand is given to patients when they are still undergoing treatment for their serious illness. It works alongside medical treatment and aims to relieve the symptoms while the treatment is still on.
When do we consider the option of Palliative Care?
Many patients while undergoing treatment for serious diseases or symptoms may suffer from acute pain and may not have a medical prognosis to establish end-of-life during the treatment process. It may be better for such patients to consider the options of palliative care at an Assisted Living facility, which may help them to manage their symptoms by trained professionals and respond to treatment without ailing with pain.
Older adults who are undergoing treatment for chronic diseases for a long period of time and need continuum of care till end-of-life may opt for an Assisted Living facility for Palliative care as they may not require a hospital or nursing home level of care in the long-run.
How is Palliative Care different in Assisted Living?
When the health of elderly patients decline and medical needs alter with ageing, a robust Palliative Care program is the need of the hour. Dealing with illness puts a lot of stress on the elderly patient and they need to be comforted, cared and loved to make them feel independent and secure diverting them from discomfort and pain. Assisted Living provides the extended support they need with personal and medical care to older adults whose needs and level of care may differ and not be possible to provide at home. At an Assisted Living centre, the senior residents who need palliative care are constantly monitored for their symptoms, anxieties and pain. They are given the comfort with a sense of belonging, creating a peaceful and positive environment for them all the time.
Tips for family members:
Assisted Living facility is a safe and practical option for families dealing with ailing parents or elders at home, especially if they are terminally ill patients. Family members get their time and space to spend with an elderly ailing member and are constantly kept abreast of their condition and care plans.
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Choosing the right type of assisted living home either for yourself or for an elderly member in your family could be overwhelming. We have a team of experienced professionals who will understand your needs and suggest the most suitable homes for you or your loved ones.
