Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the Patient’s prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.
Improves quality of life:
Palliative care teams focus on quality of life. They treat people suffering from the symptoms and stress of serious illnesses such as:
Cancer
Congestive heart failure ( CHF)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Kidney disease
Alzheimer’s
Parkinson’s
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and many more.
Relieves Suffering from Symptoms and Stress:
The goal of Palliative care is to relieve suffering and provide the best possible quality of life for patients and their families. Symptoms may include:
Pain
Depression
Shortness of breath
Fatigue
Constipation
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Difficulty of sleeping
And anxiety
Also Palliative care team will work with the patients to identify and carry out patient’s goals: symptom relief, counselling, spiritual comfort, or whatever enhances patient’s quality of life. Palliative care can also help patient to understand all of their treatment options.
As an experience Palliative care provider, we should obtain below given quality of services for patients:
Competency in palliative nursing
Communication skills. A highly developed range of sensitive and facilitative communication skills is to be expected in nursing, but is not unique to a palliative setting. …
Psycho-social skills
Teamwork skills
Physical care skills
Life closure skills
Interpersonal skills
What is the difference between Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care?
PALLIATIVE CARE
END-OF-LIFE CARE
Living with a life-limiting illness with any prognosis
Elderly members of a family are often diagnosed with incurable medical conditions, and coping with such a situation becomes a traumatic journey for both the patient and their families. However, it’s not just elderly family members but people of any age can suffer from such non-communicable debilitating diseases and would require holistic care at home. Cancer sufferers account to be the highest among them.
As per a recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, the population of UAE (United Arab Emirates), which is one of the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, is around 9,200,000 million. Out of which, only 15 per cent are considered as Emirates nationals, the rest are expatriates. The vast population of expatriates from diverse nationalities of the world is especially strong in cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
No wonder then that with such a diverse mix of population, which thrives on its working professionals, and expats staying away from their extended family or support group, home healthcare in Dubai especially to manage symptoms related to pain is of paramount importance. In the recent years, there has been a lot of emphasis from the health authorities of these cities to actively start bringing palliative care services into a more structured, and standardized module to help minimize the sufferings of those involved.
The Primary Focus of Home Palliative Care
Given the cultural and linguistic barriers, often patients suffering from critical conditions lead an isolated journey. This should be the primary focus of modern-day, updated palliative nursing care provided by nursing homes. They should address the issues of psychological demotivation, seclusion or loneliness arising from cultural gap, unstructured palliative care modules failing to address diverse timings and weekend-based needs of many expat families and above all, the dignity and kindness that all such patients deserve. Moreover, it is often the wish of such families and patients that they spend the last leg of their journey of life in the familiar comfort of home, which is often a keeper of memories.
Effective pain alleviation, proper assessment and management of pain symptoms and somatic symptoms, handing depression among patients and easing out their daily life are the core areas of palliative care that are being addressed today.
What are the Advantages of Home Palliative Care?
Palliative care also covers alleviation of pain and symptoms and suffering from treatments or surgery. At Nightingale Dubai, our holistic palliative care at home aims to supports patients and families through sensitive and advanced caring. Palliative home care services also ensure that frequent hospital trips are minimized and medical care expenses are cut down considerably. This often leaves families with more savings to further invest in quality palliative care nurses at home.
An ideal palliative care bouquet should include:
Alleviation of pain and uncomfortable symptoms
Administration of medication as needed (orally, through IV or injection)
Coordinating with doctors regarding daily upkeep and care management
Devising a daily routine around the patients
Providing assistance with difficult medical decisions
Helping in daily activities
Alleviation of pain and uncomfortable symptoms: Pain due to destabilizing diseases are commonly experienced by patients. In cases of surgeries and treatments of non-communicable incurable diseases that involve crucial bodily pain, palliative care primarily involves recognizing symptoms of pain, relapse and alleviation through proper monitoring, administration of prescription drugs and routine check-up of body rashes, bed sores etc.
Administration of medication as needed (orally, through IV or injection): In fact, administration of medicine–oral or through IV or injection on a proper, timely basis and also maintaining proper clinical hygiene of the equipment and those bodily areas is a vital component of palliative care.
Coordinating with doctors regarding daily upkeep and care management: This is another major responsibility of palliative care nurses at home. Regular communication with the concerned doctor regarding the stability of patients, observing and reporting of symptoms and contrary indications on a priority to help arrest complications right at the onset fall under the purview home care nurses.
Devising a daily routine around the patients: Once a comfort level is reached with the patient and the family, home healthcare nurses should be able to devise a sustainable routine that takes care of the patient’s daily dietary and medicine intake, fluid intake, sleep and rest, recommended exercises and engaging healthy activities like reading, listening to music, talking or any such activity that helps patients restore a balance of life.
Providing assistance with difficult medical decisions: Providing guidance on taking important medical decisions like medicine dosages etc during the course of a day also comes under the purview of a medically trained palliative care nurse.
Helping in daily activities: Assisting patients with day-to-day rituals of taking shower, toilet activities, taking meals, moving around, taking medicines, performing exercises–all have to dutifully performed by clinically treated palliative care nurses. While performing all these chores, it is most important that the nurse maintains respectful distance and composure of manners such as not to compromise on the patient’s dignity.
At Nightingale Dubai, we understand the critical as well as the delicate nature of palliative care services at home. Hence, our registered nurses are well-trained to provide positive counseling to patient at such a difficult and often destabilizing phase of their life apart from dealing with them with utmost care and respect. We understand that for a family to entrust invaluable members of their families to the care of a nurse at such a stage of their life must be fall of worries and guilt, and we only works towards filling that gap in an objective and yet homely manner.
Our palliative care nurses can help your loved one to rest comfortably while they work through their illness, regardless of the stage of their diagnosis.
When a loved one becomes seriously ill, there are so many questions and concerns to take into consideration. It is a difficult, emotional and emotionally stressful time for not only the patient but also for their family and loved ones. Ultimately, we want our loved one to rest comfortably while they work through their illness, regardless of the stage of their diagnosis. In home, palliative care nurses can help.
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care for individuals suffering from serious illness. The focus of palliative care providers is on quality of life and integrating the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social aspects of care. Palliative care is applicable for any age; at any stage of serious illness. This specialized care is provided by a trained medical professional, typically a registered nurse, together with their curative treatment plan.
Is Hospice Palliative Care?
Hospice is a type of palliative care provided when curative treatment is no longer desired or beneficial, and when life expectancy is estimated in months (or less). Hospice supports patients and their families while focusing on symptom relief and comfort during the end of life phase of a serious illness.
Unlike hospice, which focuses on the end of life care, palliative care can be provided whether the patient is suffering from a potentially curable, chronic, or life-threatening illness. Regardless of the illness or diagnosis, palliative care focuses on providing patients with relief and release from the stress and symptoms associated with a serious illness.
The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life not only for the patient but also for their family and loved ones. A palliative care team works with a patient and their family to define goals of care based on the patient’s values and what is medically applicable for their specific illness.
Who Needs Palliative Care?
Regardless of age, any individual suffering from a serious, chronic, or terminal illness can benefit from a palliative care plan. Palliative care focuses on symptoms such as pain management, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, depression, difficulty sleeping, and more. It also helps patients gain the strength and will to proceed with their daily routine while alleviating the emotional stress for family and personal caregivers.
Benefits of palliative care include:
Medically trained professionals to manage medical, social, emotional, and spiritual care to improve quality of life during treatment.
Guidance and support in dealing with individual healthcare needs and the healthcare system.
Individualised palliative care plans provided in the comforts of your home, or other outpatient treatment facility.
Relief of emotional stress for the patient and their loved ones.
Expert treatment and monitoring of symptoms and pain.
Alleviating the side effects of curative treatments (such as relieving nausea associated with chemotherapy, etc.).
A holistic approach focusing on all aspects of the patient’s life and well-being (i.e. physical, social, emotional and spiritual).
Taking back control of your care by improving your understanding of treatment options.
Caregiver support provided by medically licensed nurses with access to community resources.
Reduction or elimination of unwanted hospital visits.
Palliative Care Home Nursing Services
At Nightingale Home Nursing, we deliver a compassionate approach to the end of life care, enhancing the quality of remaining life and enabling you to live your life as fully and as comfortably as possible. Our palliative care home nursing service offers a more dignified and comfortable approach than provided in the hospital. Our goal is to provide comfort and quality of life in your home environment, relieving stress for both the patient and their family.
Nightingale DHA registered nurses provided palliative care to make your experience less stressful. Through our holistic approach, our nurses will monitor symptoms and medications, and help educate both patient and their family about what is happening through the course of their diagnosis and treatments. Palliative care nurses also serve as a link between the patient, their family, and the physician.
Please contact us to learn more about how our palliative care home nursing services can help with your care.
