A serious illness like cancer or dementia can feel like a thief stealing your life away. A specialized form of medical care can help restore what was stolen, and it’s called palliative care.
What is palliative care, and why should you know more about it? Learn more about the process and find resources that can help.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a medical specialty focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of illness, with a goal of improving quality of life for both the patient and their family.
This specialized care comes from a team of doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and others who work with you and your existing health care team to focus on what matters to you. A serious illness means a lot is going on, and a palliative care team can help make sure all your needs are met, even the nonmedical ones.
Here’s one example.
Laura, 72, enjoyed her retirement until she noticed she was having trouble keeping up with her friends on their walks. She went to her primary care doctor, and then a heart specialist, who found out that she had had a silent heart attack. A few weeks later, Laura had another heart attack and ended up in the hospital with heart failure. A nurse, Nicole, came to see Laura. Nicole explained that she was a nurse on the palliative care team, which meant focusing on helping people live well, even with a serious illness. Nicole asked Laura what was most important to her about her care, and then arranged support that Laura didn’t know existed. That included giving her medication for nausea, helping her with how to talk about her illness with her grandchildren, and a social worker to provide support to Laura’s husband. A few weeks after starting palliative care, Laura is starting to feel normal again and is back to enjoying many of the activities she used to do.
As was the case with Laura, receiving palliative care is appropriate at any age, and at any stage, in a serious illness and can be provided alongside curative treatment. Studies have consistently shown that people get many benefits from palliative care, including reduced pain and fatigue, or fewer trips to the emergency room.
The palliative care team also focuses on helping family caregivers with the stress they may have. Because it’s medical care, most insurance plans, including Medicare, cover all or parts of palliative care services.
Specialists in palliative care help you understand your illness and take control of your options. It’s medical care that views you as a person, not just your disease. The bottom line: Palliative care can help you live well with serious illness.
Why Don’t More People Know About Palliative Care?
Unfortunately, few people know about palliative care and receive it when they should. Only 1 in 10 people who need palliative care receive it worldwide. This will be a growing problem as the global population ages. By 2060, the need for palliative care is expected to nearly double.
A poll by The John A. Hartford Foundation found that while 96% of U.S. adults over age 50 think it is important to have access to palliative care when it’s defined for them, more than half (55%) are unfamiliar with the term. The familiarity with palliative care is even lower among Black adults over age 50, with 70% slightly or not at all familiar with the term, compared to 55% of Hispanic and 53% of White adults.
Lack of awareness stems from health care providers not talking enough about palliative care before a serious illness happens or in the early stages of serious illness. Fifty-four percent of respondents shared that no health care professional started a conversation about what matters to them in their health. Organizations are working to change this, but patients and family caregivers can act now. Asking your health care providers about palliative care as soon as you or a family member receives a diagnosis of any serious illness can help you get the right care when it’s needed.
How Can I Learn More About Palliative Care?
Ask your primary care provider or other health care professionals you see about palliative care, should you receive a serious illness diagnosis or want to be prepared for one. They can direct you to more information and services.
The Center to Advance Palliative Care also offers a website called Get Palliative Care. It explains more about the benefits and options of palliative care through articles, videos, podcasts, and more. These simple handouts (also available in Spanish) answer common questions, and this directory can help you find palliative care providers in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and even in the home.
Learn more about palliative care today to live well with serious illness in the future.
For more resources on age-friendly care, visit johnahartford.org/agefriendly.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: E+/Getty Images
SOURCES:
World Health Organization: “WHO takes steps to address glaring shortage of quality palliative care services.”
The John A, Hartford Foundation: “Age-Friendly Insights Poll: Adults 50+ Overwhelmingly Want Palliative Care, Once They Know What It Is.”
