Receiving The Best Possible Palliative Care In Your Home
When most people hear the words “palliative care”, they immediately interpret it as the treatment one receives in his/her last stage of life. While this isn’t entirely untrue, it’s also not completely accurate. By entering a loved one into palliative care, you are not giving up on treatment that can prolong life. Instead, you are doing all that you can to give your loved one the most comfortable possible living arrangement.
What is the overall goal of palliative care?
The overall goal of palliative care is to help an individual enjoy the best possible quality of life. In many cases, a person’s time in palliative care will involve treatments that work to either cure or reverse the effects of an illness. One of the primary objectives of this type of care is to help patients cope with their often aggressive treatments by offering ease of pain and symptoms from the disease.
Palliative care can take place at either a hospice or a person’s home. Sometimes, the terms “hospice” and “palliative” are used interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two. Hospice care is generally defined as the care of a terminal or dying person with a life expectancy of six months or less. Palliative care is representative of care for patients who have various needs regardless of their life expectancy.
How do you know you’re receiving the right type of palliative care?
You know you’re receiving the right type of palliative care when the caregiver shows concern about the patient as a person. In other words, she caters to more than just the symptoms of the illness by also focusing on the overall physical and emotional well-beings of her patient. A person in palliative care often has changing needs. An excellent caregiver will consider these changing needs while providing care.
At Senior Homecare by Angels, we view palliative care as a philosophy of care. It’s important to us that we treat each and every one of our clients with the same high level of genuine concern. As part of the Senior Homecare by Angels Palliative Certification Program, our caregivers are professionally trained to provide elderly care that is equal parts supportive, soothing and comforting. Our caregivers ensure that the physical, social and spiritual needs of our aging clients are all met.
What is special about the palliative care provided by Senior Homecare by Angels?
It is never lost on us that through the care we provide, it is necessary to address both the physical and emotional needs of not just our clients, but their families as well. Our ultimate goal is to provide a specialized version of palliative care that enriches the lives of those we serve. Our palliative care philosophy incorporates the best practices to provide quality, competent and supportive care for everyone involved in the process.
If you would feel more comfortable with having your loved one enter palliative care at home, please don’t hesitate to contact Senior Homecare by Angels to learn more about our Certified Palliative Care services.
You may call us at 403-862-0129 or toll-free at 1-877-209-6142 if you are outside of Calgary. You may also visit our Contact Us page to complete and submit a simple contact form to have us contact you.
Gerry Gatto is a trained health care administrator and the owner of Senior Homecare® By Angels a Calgary – based company. Helping Calgary seniors remain in their home and maintain their independence with the assistance of dedicated caregiver.