| Families often struggle with the need to be sure | | | | ground. Today in the United States, 55% of U.S. |
| everything has been done that can be done their | | | | hospitals with over 100 beds offer a palliative care |
| terminally ill loved one. It can be very difficult for | | | | programand nearly one-fifth of community |
| the patient and family members as they transition | | | | hospitals have palliative care programs.A relatively |
| from making decisions toward cure to making | | | | recent development is the concept of a dedicated |
| decisions that will help to allow for a comfortable | | | | health care team that is entirely geared toward |
| and peaceful death. | | | | palliative treatment, called a palliative care team. |
| When a terminally ill person and/or their loved | | | | There is often confusion between the terms |
| ones make the decision to discontinue curative | | | | hospice and palliative care. In the United States, |
| treatments and move instead into comfort care | | | | hospice services and palliative care programs |
| in preparation for approaching death, there are | | | | share similar goals of providing symptom relief |
| several matters which must be considered. | | | | and pain management. |
| What is Palliative Care | | | | However, the most important distinction between |
| Palliative is any form of medical care or treatment | | | | hospice and palliative care programs in the United |
| that concentrates on reducing the severity of | | | | States is that hospice is a Medicare Part A |
| symptoms rather than curing the disease. The | | | | benefit, thus requiring many aspects of hospice |
| goal of palliative care is to relieve suffering and | | | | care such as enrollment to be regulated by the |
| improve quality of life for those who are | | | | United States federal government. |
| experiencing serious, complex and terminal illness. | | | | Non-hospice palliative care, however, is appropriate |
| This can include alternative or energy work such | | | | for anyone with a serious, complex illness, |
| as massage or aromatherapy which may alleviate | | | | whether they are expected to recover fully, to |
| the side effects of the curative treatments. One | | | | live with chronic illness for an extended time, or to |
| example is methods of relieving the nausea | | | | experience disease progression. |
| associated with chemotherapy. | | | | As death becomes more imminent, attempts to |
| Over the past twenty years, the focus on a | | | | cure the disease taper off, while palliative care |
| patient's quality of life has gained substantial | | | | measures increase. |