The vast majority of medical care delivered today in the United States is curative care.
It is therefore true that most of us, including doctors, have a one track mind about medicine, and it's all focused on the cure.
The bad thing about the purely curative mindset is that we focus on cure and forget about many other important needs.
People facing serious and life threatening disease need a support system that can focus on the bigger picture, not just the cure.
That is the idea behind Palliative Care.
The odds are excellent that you or someone you love will someday face a situation in which curative care is inadequate or no cure may be possible.
It's important that you understand, and in fact demand this treatment option when it is needed.
Definition: Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is the medical specialty focused on improving the quality of life of people facing serious illness.
Emphasis is placed on pain and symptom management, communication and coordinated care.
It is appropriate from the time of diagnosis and can be provided along with curative treatment.
(from getPalliativeCare.
org) How is this different from hospice care? Hospice care is for people in the last months of life who have decided to stop curative treatments.
Medicare hospice benefit rules require a terminal diagnosis with less than 6 months to live.
The Medicare rules also stipulate that curative measures must stop before the hospice benefit begins.
Palliative care in general does not have these restrictions and can take place at the same time as curative treatment.
How is palliative care started or initiated? This question is at the heart of why it's so important to understand palliative care.
In many cases it may be up to you to initiate a discussion about palliative care with the doctor.
Some doctors and hospitals pro-actively discuss this option with patients and their families, but others do not.
I have found that in long-term elder care facilities such as nursing homes, palliative care may be available, but only upon request.
Therefore, you have to know to ask.
Quality of life is the primary focus of palliative care.
Curative care sometimes puts quality of life in the back seat.
Curative care also continues to be the normal mode of action even when there is no possibility of cure.
It may be up to you to define the priorities, either for yourself or a loved one.
It's good to understand that you have options.