Understanding Palliative Care

An added layer of support.

Palliative medicine is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. The purpose of palliative care Is to improve the quality of life and comfort for patients and their families, and is often performed alongside curative treatments.

Importance of Symptom Management

Oftentimes, the symptoms of a life-limiting illness or the side effects of treatment, such as pain, shortness of breath, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, depression, and sleep problems, can tremendously impact someone’s quality of life. Being unable to enjoy a good meal or to get a good night’s rest can be detrimental to someone’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Effective symptom management can:

  • Reduce suffering and help increase a patient’s well-being
  • Help patients maintain a sense of control and normalcy
  • Allow patients to maintain their dignity and autonomy
  • Lessen the stress and ease tension for patients and their loved ones
  • Create a positive environment

The History of Palliative Care

The word “palliate” comes from the Latin word “pallium”, which means “cloak”. To palliate is to cover up the symptoms of an illness, which eventually grew into the idea of alleviating or reducing suffering.

Palliative care itself stemmed from the creation of hospice care by British physician Dame Cicely Saunders in 1948. Her success in improving her patients’ quality of life was quickly recognized, and other caregivers started to think that these values could apply to patients without terminal illnesses as well.

In 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized palliative care as a distinct field of medicine. Hospitals were slow to adopt, but between 2000 and 2011, palliative care in U.S. hospitals increased 157%.

Today, we serve around 1,700 individuals a year through 5,300+ care visits. These numbers are only increasing as awareness around palliative care and its benefits grows.

Questions? Call (616) 235-5101 to learn more.