Palliative care services have been gaining a lot of popularity these days as more people are opting for them. For those who do not know yet, it is a medical specialty that focuses on improving the lives of people suffering from life threatening diseases and providing them comfort. The concept in a nursing home is very similar to hospice where patients are made to feel comfortable at their death-bed. However, it is not reserved to dying patients but is also meant for those who have been facing difficulties due to serious illnesses. This care service can be provided to people of all ages suffering from any chronic, serious and life threatening illness.
The National Council for Palliative Care has been set up as an umbrella charity for people involved in offering highest care and support to terminally ill patients. The members work alongside government, social and health care staff to offer care for people in need. There are programs that are run by a team that generally consists of a physician, a nurse and a social worker. If the need arises then the team may also include a psychologist, a dietician, a psychiatrist, a chaplain or a therapist. They work together to make the patient feel better. If the person is suffering from a lot of pain and difficulties then they try their best to reduce the pain and sufferings to a large extent. If the patient is about to die due to an untreatable disease then they work towards making the patient feel better. Anyone suffering from life taking disease would feel terrible about dying, so the team of care in a nursing home strives to make the patient feel good about his passing number of days.
The best thing about these services is that it can be rendered along with general treatment and cure. If a patient is suffering from a serious illness that will take a long time to cure then he would need a lot of patience and perseverance. The care team will not only help the person get treated for his disease but will also give him mental peace and support. The main aim of is to make the patient feel good while he is undergoing treatment in the nursing home. There are some patients that need care for a short period of time while some others may need it for a longer time. There are also ones that have to take a number of sessions depending upon the situation of their health.
Palliative care in nursing care homes plays a very important role in the lives of patients. A very small number of patients do not care if they are on dialysis or ventilator. However, most of the patients admitted in nursing homes feel terrible about being on ventilator or dialysis. One of the most important duties of palliative care team is to deal with the family members of the patients too. Sometimes, the relatives of suffering people need care services too so that they do not feel terrible about their loved ones.