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Palliative care specialists can help families and friends cope and give them the support they need. These challenges can compromise caregivers’ own health.
#The goal of palliative care is to how to
Uncertainty about how to help their loved one with medical situations, inadequate social support, and emotions such as worry and fear can also add to caregiver stress. Many find it hard to care for their loved one who is sick while trying to handle other obligations, such as work, household duties, and taking care of their family. It’s common for many caregivers to become overwhelmed by the extra responsibilities placed upon them. Like the patient, they have changing needs. Family members and friends are an important part of cancer care. An expert in palliative care can help people explore their beliefs and values so that they can find a sense of peace or reach a point of acceptance that is appropriate for their situation. Some find the disease brings them closer to their faith or spiritual beliefs, whereas others struggle to understand why cancer happened to them. With a cancer diagnosis, patients and families often look more deeply for meaning in their lives. Depression, anxiety, and fear are only a few of the concerns that can be addressed through palliative care. Palliative care specialists can provide resources to help patients and families deal with the emotions that come with a cancer diagnosis and cancer treatment. Common physical symptoms that can be addressed include pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and insomnia. A palliative care specialist will take the following issues into account for each patient:
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Palliative care can address a broad range of issues, integrating an individual’s specific needs into care. The physical and emotional effects of cancer and its treatment may be very different from person to person. Or surgery may be performed to remove a mass that is pressing on certain nerves and causing pain. For example, doctors may give chemotherapy or radiation therapy to slow the growth of a tumor that is causing pain. Many of the same methods that are used to treat cancer, such as medicines and certain treatments, can also be used for palliative therapy to help a patient feel more comfortable. Anyone can receive palliative care regardless of their age or stage of disease. Patients may receive palliative care in the hospital, an outpatient clinic, a long-term care facility, or at home under the direction of a licensed health care provider. The goal is to prevent or treat, as early as possible, the symptoms and side effects of the disease and its treatment, in addition to any related psychological, social, and spiritual problems. Palliative care is an approach to care that addresses the person as a whole, not just their disease. It can be given with or without curative care. Palliative care is care meant to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease, such as cancer.