Palliative and hospice care both are types of elderly care to minimize the discomfort and pain of any chronic illness. Well, both have some differences in certain important ways.
If you or any of your aging loved ones are struggling with a serious disease, then it is important to opt for the right type of care as per the circumstances. But before that, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of each of these services and what they offer.
In this blog, you will get a fair idea of the key differences between palliative and hospice care-
Palliative Care:
In palliative care, a patient gets support to ease pain and associated health concerns if the disease is chronic but not considered life-threatening. It allows patients to live with the signs of several chronic diseases such as AIDS, cancer, and kidney diseases, or with the side effects of any past treatment plans.
Well, the medicines given in palliative care do not replace the existing treatments. It is considered an addition to help the patient and the caregivers deal with issues such as nerve pain, nausea, and shortness of breath.
If the patient’s health is limiting him to work, getting around, playing, or even causing depression, palliative care can prove to be quite effective. In some cases, if the illness is supposed to be fatal, palliative care can allow the patient to live an active life as much as possible.
Hospice Care:
This is for the patients who are not expected to recover from their illnesses. Hospice Care is provided to the patient while helping the caregivers to get ready for the end of life. In hospice care, palliative care is usually provided initially but for a short time.
People receiving hospice care are expected to live only 6 months or less. They are still at their home, where caregivers and healthcare experts take care of them. Well, any specialized center nursing care home can also be selected for hospice care.
In such a type of senior care, all the family members, caregivers counselors, clergy, and social workers are involved apart from doctors and nurses. Hospice care provides ongoing care to the patient until his life ends.
How to choose between palliative or hospice care?
Generally, the decision to choose between palliative care and hospice care is dependent on the person’s illnesses as well as the circumstances rather than the preferences of the family. For instance, a patient is eligible to take hospice care if they don’t have any terminal issue or are taking a curative treatment for the same.
The person is eligible for palliative care if he-
- Has a chronic disease with an uncertain trajectory
- Is expected to live longer than 6 months
- Is undergoing a curative treatment to treat the illness.
The person is eligible for hospice care if he-
- Has a terminal health problem
- Is expected to live not more than 6 months
- Has stopped eating disease-directed treatment
Summarizing this, both palliative and hospice care assist the patients and their caregivers in dealing with many aspects including managing pain & discomfort, handling the conflict among the family, and sometimes resolving cultural and spiritual issues.
Deciding on choosing between palliative and hospice care can be overwhelming, especially when the patient is ill for a long time. Well, their healthcare professionals can guide the process and recommend the right care option. The palliative or hospice care provider also evaluates the condition and identifies which option is the best fit for the patient’s requirements and ongoing treatment plans.
If you are also planning to opt for palliative care or hospice care for your loved one and seeking the best senior care home, then ProTribe can meet all your needs. They are the most trusted team of caregivers who make sure that your loved one gets all the necessary care and support in their last years. You can connect their team for nursing care homes, senior care, or even assisted living in Delhi, NCR.
