By Sara Maples, M.D.
TriHealth and
Hospice of Cincinnati
There are few things worse than experiencing pain, whether physical, emotional or spiritual. And if you or someone you love is in pain, chances are you’d do just about anything to make the pain go away.
Fortunately, a relatively new and growing medical specialty – palliative care – can help. Palliative care provides relief from pain and other symptoms of serious or advanced illness. It focuses on the whole person, addressing what ails body, mind and spirit.
Here are five important things you should know about palliative care if you or a loved one is struggling with the symptoms of an advanced or complex illness:
1. Palliative care can help with a broad range of symptoms and illnesses.
Palliative care addresses the symptoms and side effects of an array of serious illnesses, including but not limited to cancer, heart disease, renal disease, liver disease, neurological disorders (like ALS, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, stroke) and lung disease.
If you or someone close to you has one or more of these diagnoses, palliative medicine may be able to help address symptoms like shortness of breath, fluid retention, fatigue, poor appetite, insomnia, physical pain, anxiety and depression.
2. You don’t have to be a hospice patient to receive palliative care.
Sometimes, people confuse palliative care and hospice. Hospice is for people who have life expectancy of six months or less and have stopped seeking a cure for their illness. Palliative care is for patients with serious illness at any stage of disease, even if you are still seeking a cure.
3. Palliative care improves quality of life.
Complex, advanced illnesses can throw your entire world into chaos. In addition to physical symptoms, you may struggle with other issues that severely limit the life you once enjoyed. Daily routines change, relationships are tested, and you might be overwhelmed and struggling with the question, “Why me?”
Research has shown that palliative care not only improves the management of symptoms related to serious illness, it also improves patients’ overall sense of well-being.
In 2010, researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that patients with metastatic lung cancer who received palliative care early reported experiencing a higher quality of life than those receiving standard care. They were also less likely to suffer from depression and lived several months longer. And research published in JAMA in 2016 found that palliative care reduced patients’ distress from symptoms by 66% and improved quality of life.
4. Palliative care provides an added layer of support.
Palliative care doesn’t replace your medical team – instead, it adds to your existing medical care. Depending on your symptoms and needs, your palliative care team could include physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, chaplains, occupational and physical therapists, holistic therapists and pharmacists.
These team members work with you in your home, in an outpatient setting or in the hospital. They can help coordinate the many aspects of your medical care and also follow up with your primary care doctor or specialists to recommend treatment changes and/or other interventions that might improve how you’re feeling.
5. Palliative care helps you and your loved ones plan for your future.
If you have an advanced illness, you need to know what the future looks like as your disease progresses. Your options may become increasingly complex as time goes on.
For example, would you require an organ transplant at some point, and if so, would you want one? Or, if you had life-threatening emergency and emergency personnel asked you, “Do you want us to do everything, or do you just want to be comfortable,” would you understand what that means and how you would reply?
If you couldn’t speak for yourself, would your loved ones know what choices you would make?
One of the best services the palliative care team offers is helping you understand your disease and what choices you could face in the future. They’ll work with you on your goals for medical care and advance planning. This includes preparing advance directives (Living Wills and Health Care Power of Attorney) and resuscitation orders (DNRs). They’ll also advise you on how to talk to your loved ones and your medical team about your care preferences.
No one should have to suffer through the pain and stress of serious illness when options are available to help. If you or someone close to you needs symptom relief, contact our PalliaCare team at (513) 891-7700, or visit: https://hospiceofcincinnati.org/services/palliative-care/. We look forward to helping you plan a more meaningful and comfortable life.
Sara Maples, M.D., is a hospice and palliative care specialist with TriHealth and Hospice of Cincinnati. A Cincinnati native, she received her medical degree from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed a palliative care fellowship at The Christ Hospital.