What One Should Know About Palliative Care In Tulsa
One of the most difficult things for any individual or family to go through is to handle a diagnosis of a terminal illness. Apart from grappling with the certainty of facing death, there are also a myriad of problems that the affected individual has to grapple with. Palliation seeks to consider a patient as a whole rather than simply focusing on their diagnosis. If they intend to get palliative care in Tulsa patients should first understand a number of things on this treatment.
Cure is usually out of the picture so the rest of the treatment is directed at preventing and managing the side effects of the primary illness. The side effects may be emotional, physical, spiritual, spiritual or social. Palliative care can be provided at home or in the hospital depending on the nature of the illness. Patients and their relatives are also at liberty in deciding where they would wish to receive the care.
Cancer is without a doubt, the commonest condition that necessitates palliation. While some forms of cancer can be treated successfully, there are many others that are malignant and incurable. Although death may be certain for these aggressive cancers, there is a need to have a proper end of life care for the affected patients. Other conditions that may fall in this category include advanced HIV/AIDS, severe brain injury and chronic liver and kidney failure.
Offering palliative services is a product of teamwork. Many different specialists have to work together in coordinated fashion to attend to the needs of the patient. The type of specialists needed largely depends on the exact nature of the illness. Each specialist has special training to handle this type of patients and focuses on just one area. A typical multidisciplinary team would comprise nurses, doctors, dieticians, social workers and religious leaders.
Physical needs relate to the signs and symptoms of the illness. They include, for example, pain, vomiting, nausea, shortness of breath and loss of appetite among others. Everything possible should be done to get rid of these symptoms. When managing pain for instance, pain relievers should be given liberally regardless of whether there are any short term or long term effects such as addiction and physical dependence.
Physical needs are perhaps the most pronounced in patients with terminal illnesses. They mainly include signs and symptoms of the condition such as nausea, vomiting, pain and shortness of breath among others. Nothing should be held back while trying to manage these symptoms. In managing pain, for example, in managing pain, the strongest pain relievers should not be withheld for fear of dependence or addiction.
Relatives also need to receive special care. They are, in most instances, greatly affected by the sickness of their loved one. It is important that their emotional and psychological needs are addressed alongside those of the patient. While some relatives may find it easy to accept the certainty of death, others struggle to come to terms with the reality and would require counselling during the illness and even after.
Palliation is related to but is not the same as hospice services. Palliation is simply supportive treatment that a patient is accorded right from the time a diagnosis is made. Hospice services, on the other hand, are given principally as end of life care when cure for a particular disease is considered impossible. Both of them are, therefore, found on the continuum of care for chronic conditions.
Cure is usually out of the picture so the rest of the treatment is directed at preventing and managing the side effects of the primary illness. The side effects may be emotional, physical, spiritual, spiritual or social. Palliative care can be provided at home or in the hospital depending on the nature of the illness. Patients and their relatives are also at liberty in deciding where they would wish to receive the care.
Cancer is without a doubt, the commonest condition that necessitates palliation. While some forms of cancer can be treated successfully, there are many others that are malignant and incurable. Although death may be certain for these aggressive cancers, there is a need to have a proper end of life care for the affected patients. Other conditions that may fall in this category include advanced HIV/AIDS, severe brain injury and chronic liver and kidney failure.
Offering palliative services is a product of teamwork. Many different specialists have to work together in coordinated fashion to attend to the needs of the patient. The type of specialists needed largely depends on the exact nature of the illness. Each specialist has special training to handle this type of patients and focuses on just one area. A typical multidisciplinary team would comprise nurses, doctors, dieticians, social workers and religious leaders.
Physical needs relate to the signs and symptoms of the illness. They include, for example, pain, vomiting, nausea, shortness of breath and loss of appetite among others. Everything possible should be done to get rid of these symptoms. When managing pain for instance, pain relievers should be given liberally regardless of whether there are any short term or long term effects such as addiction and physical dependence.
Physical needs are perhaps the most pronounced in patients with terminal illnesses. They mainly include signs and symptoms of the condition such as nausea, vomiting, pain and shortness of breath among others. Nothing should be held back while trying to manage these symptoms. In managing pain, for example, in managing pain, the strongest pain relievers should not be withheld for fear of dependence or addiction.
Relatives also need to receive special care. They are, in most instances, greatly affected by the sickness of their loved one. It is important that their emotional and psychological needs are addressed alongside those of the patient. While some relatives may find it easy to accept the certainty of death, others struggle to come to terms with the reality and would require counselling during the illness and even after.
Palliation is related to but is not the same as hospice services. Palliation is simply supportive treatment that a patient is accorded right from the time a diagnosis is made. Hospice services, on the other hand, are given principally as end of life care when cure for a particular disease is considered impossible. Both of them are, therefore, found on the continuum of care for chronic conditions.
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You can find a summary of the factors that determine the cost of palliative care in Tulsa at http://www.millerhospicetulsa.com right now.
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