National Hospice and Palliative Care Month

The importance of hospice and palliative care comes to light as we celebrate National Hospice & Palliative Care Month. We offer helping hands to make life better.

The Difference Between Hospice and Palliative Care

Both types of care provide comfort for the patient. Hospice care deals specifically with facing the end of life and focuses on not only the patient but the bereavement process that family members may go through.

Palliative care is also focused on comfort; however, end of life decisions are not definite and in many cases not even a part of the caring process. The definitions below will help you to better understand both hospice and palliative care.

Hospice Care

• Definition – Hospice care is offered to those who are in the final times of life. Most often they have been under care for health issues and are now facing the end of life decisions. Hospice care is about providing comfort to the patient while they face the end of life process and helping their loved ones face the future.
• Benefits – Hospice care can benefit the patient who is dealing with health issues associated with end of life, as well as their family & friends. The families of those who are receiving hospice care can benefit in a number of ways.
  • Working Through Grief – We offer a variety of ways to help loved ones learn about the grieving process.  Every year we hold a Grief Camp for children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one; a free Open Public Monthly Grief Support Group is offered the 4^th Monday of each month (click here for details) for adults 18+; and our social workers can offer a variety of services and information that can help you and your family.
  • Helping with Caregiving – We can help you with taking care of your loved one so they are comfortable while helping to find the safest, most hygienic conditions possible. Having hospice care can help you rest a little easier, knowing that someone is regularly available to take care of your loved one while giving you time to rest or take care of other matters at hand.
  • Understanding the Process – Above & Beyond specializes in hospice care and a number of ways to address the process of grieving. We help you understand that everyone faces end of life decisions; with assistance and specialized programs focused on typical end of life processes and the decisions that come with it.

Palliative Care

• Definition – Palliative care is provided to someone who suffers with a chronic or degenerative/progressive illness. While comfort care occurs for both hospice and palliative care, the difference between the two is that palliative care addresses both comfort and quality of life.
  Palliative care occurs while the patient is under treatment of a physician and/or health care team for their illness and end of life is not eminent because of the disease within a short time.
• Benefits – Typically the patient who is dealing with health issues is the one who will benefit the most from palliative care. However, it is not uncommon to find that a person who is in need of palliative care is worried that they will become a burden on their friends and family. This is where having professional caregivers is very beneficial; because we can not only provide comfort but help with daily life tasks.
  • Those who can benefit from palliative care include:
    • Cancer Patients
    • Multiple Sclerosis Patients
    • Those with Alzheimer’s
    • Diabetics (especially those who have not been able to control their insulin levels and/or have had multiple medical issues caused by the diabetes)
    • Any Chronic Pain Sufferer
    • AIDS Patients
    • Those with COPD
    • Autoimmune Diseases (there are more than 80 autoimmune diseases known)

Above & Beyond Can Make a Difference

Contact us to find out more about how we can make a difference with end of life care and caregiving for those who face health battles and pain issues. Above and Beyond offers a number of services for bereavement, hospice and palliative care.

Helping Hands Photo by antonella.beccaria