Recently a Cancer Today article http://www.cancertoday * noted: “Originating from the Latin word pallium, meaning “a cloak,” palliative care offers relief from the symptoms and stresses of cancer. It’s not a replacement for therapies like chemotherapy, radiation or surgery that treat the illness. Instead, it’s a companion therapy.”
“For someone with a serious condition that affects quality of life, “if you want the best care possible and you’re getting cancer care without palliative care, then you’re not getting the best care,” says Diane Meier, a geriatrician and palliative care specialist who directs the Center to Advance Palliative Care.”
“Palliative care covers a lot of ground. For cancer patients, it’s most widely used for management of pain, nausea and other cancer-related symptoms and treatment side effects. But palliative care services also can help with decision making for complex medical problems and offer support for the emotional, social and spiritual distress felt by patients and their families. Hospice care also provides these services, but the key difference is that hospice usually begins once life-extending efforts end. Palliative care isn’t about creating the best quality of life for what little time is left. It’s about getting patients through treatment so they can get on with life.”
“Palliative care ideally starts at diagnosis or in the early stages of treatment, depending on the needs of the patient and family. As recently as 15 years ago, it was rare to find specialists who focused on a patient’s physical and emotional suffering throughout the cancer experience, regardless of the prognosis. Now, palliative care is so widespread and valued that services are increasingly offered in settings outside the hospital, including outpatient clinics, doctors’ offices, nursing homes and even in patients’ living rooms.”
* to read the full Cancer today article “Palliative Care Explained” by Melissa Weber , highlight and click on open hyperlink http://www.cancertodaymag.org/Spring2014/Pages/Palliative-Care-Hospice-Survivorship.aspx
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Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.
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