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Palliative Care

Today's post is about the topic of palliative care.  Palliative care is a subspecialty in the  broader field of pain management, and its main purpose is to focus on quality of life rather than prolongation of life.  This type of care is mainly when patients and their families are going through serious illness.  Many people think that palliative care end-of life care, but in truth it can be of use at any point in time during a serious illness.

Typically palliative care practices involve a care team which can include physicians, social workers, spiritual care, nurses, counselors, etc.  The team approach can help patients with many kinds of needs during their course of care.  Some examples of palliative care include:

--spiritual care or counseling for the patient and/or family
--wigs for patients who lose their hair during chemotherapy
--pain management needs (medication and non drug measures)

--needs for home health equipment
-- placement in a care setting that is appropriate for the
   patient and their family



References:   
                   

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