There is a need for additional elaboration on the differences between palliative and hospice care. These terms may have been used synonymously at some point. On the other hand, palliative care and hospice care are not the same things. Both of these terms are very different from one another, although they have many things in common.
Hospice care is also known as end-of-life care. Even though hospice care is offered to anyone with less than six months to live, many people have the misconception that hospice care is reserved exclusively for cancer patients who have decided against further treatment.
When you receive hospice care, you will no longer be treated to cure your condition or increase the length of your life. Instead, you will receive care to relieve your suffering and make the remainder of your time as comfortable as possible.
In contrast, palliative care is a rapidly expanding subspecialty within the medical field. Its goal is to improve the quality of life for people whose illnesses are either terminal or permanently altering their lives. Components of educational programming, psychological counseling, and even physical therapy can all be a part of individual care.
Palliative care is sometimes called supportive care. There is a need for elucidation concerning the characteristics of palliative care, including who should receive it, why, and what its components are.
The provision of palliative care contributes to enhancing a patient’s physical, emotional, spiritual, and social health.
Hospice vs Palliative Care Meaning
Hospice Care Meaning
Hospice care is an option for people who have been given a terminal diagnosis as their prognosis.
Hospice care focuses specifically on comfort at the end of life. Hospice care aims to improve a patient’s quality of life for as long as possible. The patient and their family receive physical pain relief, relief from other symptoms, and emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual support from hospice caregivers.
There are four distinct categories or levels of hospice care:
- Respite care
- Short-term care that provides family caregivers with a break is referred to as respite care. When receiving respite care, you will spend a predetermined amount of time in an inpatient hospice, skilled nursing facility, or hospital. This time will allow you to get some rest. The provision of respite care can be of assistance to family members who require a break from providing continuous care, who are experiencing health issues, or who need to travel.
- General inpatient care
- Certain symptoms are beyond the scope of what can be treated at home. In this scenario, the hospice physician suggests that the patient checks into either the hospital or the hospice. During your stay in the hospital, your symptoms will be managed so that when you return home, you can continue receiving hospice care in the comfort of your own home.
- Continuous home care
- Your hospice team will provide continuous care at home for you if you are experiencing a medical emergency or if you require care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For instance, if you were enduring severe pain that was not alleviated by the medications you are currently taking, a nurse could remain with you for an extended period to find a solution to the issue.
- Routine home care
- The majority of hospice care focuses primarily on providing routine home care to patients. When you receive routine home care, the hospice team will come to your residence to provide nursing, therapeutic, spiritual, and any other type of care that may be necessary. This schedule will be coordinated with you and your family by the hospice team that you have.
Your quality of care will not be affected in any way by the level of hospice care you receive. Your surroundings might shift for a little while, but your care regimen will remain the same. Hospice care providers must provide all four levels of care to receive Medicare certification.
When Should a Patient Begin Hospice Care?
Hospice care is initiated when a patient is nearing the end of their life. You must consent to stop receiving curative treatments from participating in hospice care. When it comes to your care, you, your family, and your healthcare provider are the best people to decide if hospice care is required. In most cases, you need to demonstrate that you satisfy the following requirements:
- A doctor informs you that you have six months or less to live.
- You are actively declining, and none of your medical treatments are effective.
- You are prepared to cease treatment for your condition.
Furthermore, you can expect an evaluation of your hospice care every six months. If your condition continues to deteriorate and hospice care is still necessary, you will continue to receive care during this time. You can discontinue receiving hospice care if your physician determines that such treatment is no longer necessary for you. Should it become necessary to do so later, hospice care can be resumed.
Palliative Care Meaning
The goal of providing palliative care is to improve patients’ quality of life despite the terminal nature of their illness. It treats the symptoms of chronic illness and the stress that comes with it. It could also involve assisting family members or caregivers.
Palliative care is characterized by its high degree of individualization, which results in a wide range of possible outcomes. A care plan can include one or more of the following goals:
- Reducing signs and symptoms, including treatment-induced ones
- Expanding knowledge of disease and its development
- Addressing and identifying spiritual and practical needs
- Aiding in adjusting to emotional and physical changes brought on by illness
- Helping with medical literacy, treatment decision-making, and care coordination
- Support resource identification and acquisition
Palliative care is an option that should be considered for a wide range of conditions. The following is a list of some of the most common diseases and conditions for which palliative care can be especially helpful:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Dementia
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Cancer
When Should I Think About Palliative Care?
You are free to inquire about palliative care at any point in time if you have a serious illness or one that threatens your life.
It is a widespread misunderstanding that to receive palliative care, a patient must first wait until their illness is in its final stages or has reached its end stage before receiving treatment. According to the findings of many studies, beginning palliative care as close as possible to the time of diagnosis is optimal for its effectiveness.
An early start on palliative care, which improves both quality of life and overall survival, was recommended in a study of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) conducted in 2018.
People with advanced cancer who received outpatient palliative care had a higher quality of life and lived longer, according to a meta-analysis published in 2018.
Also, palliative care reduces symptoms of depression and other mental health conditions. A study conducted in 2017 found that individuals with advanced cancer experiencing depressive symptoms benefited the most from the early initiation of palliative care.
If you receive palliative care, it may also be possible for your loved ones to gain access to resources and support that will assist them in coping with your illness.
What do Palliative Care and Hospice Care Have in Common?
Palliative and hospice care are two branches of medicine that offer support to patients of any age who are coping with serious, life-threatening conditions. These conditions may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s disease
- Cancer
- Organ failure
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Liver disease
- Dementia
- Huntington’s disease
- Heart failure
- Kidney disease
It doesn’t matter what kind of illness a patient has; the palliative and hospice care team’s ultimate goal is to:
- Assist you in determining the most effective strategy for your healthcare
- Comfort you and your loved ones emotionally.
- Improved ease of living
- Enhance your standard of living
None of these alternative forms of treatment require that you stop seeing your primary care physician. In addition to your primary care physician, those providing palliative and hospice care will help coordinate and manage your care.
Hospice vs. Palliative Care – Key Differences
The primary difference between palliative and hospice care is related to the timing of each form of care provision.
Palliative care is appropriate for individuals dealing with a life-threatening illness at any point in time, regardless of the stage of their disease. It does not matter what your prognosis is or how long you are expected to live.
You may choose to receive curative treatment, but you may also choose to receive palliative care to improve your quality of life and comfort.
On the other hand, hospice care is only offered toward the end of life when a disease is no longer responsive to treatment. This is the only time hospice care is an option. At this stage, the patient can cease all treatment and begin end-of-life care, which is more commonly referred to as hospice care.
Much like palliative care, hospice care concentrates on patients’ mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Palliative care is synonymous with hospice care. On the other hand, being admitted to hospice is not a prerequisite for receiving palliative care.
For a patient to be eligible for hospice care, their attending physician must determine that they have less than six months to live. Finding an answer to this question may require a lot of effort. You may also qualify for hospice care if you live for more than six months after your diagnosis. If your attending physician believes you have less than six months to live, you can continue receiving hospice care.
It is not always the case that hospice care is associated with death. It is also possible to receive hospice care followed by treatments that cure the patient or prolong their life.
Conclusion
If you have a life-threatening, chronic illness, there is an option to receive palliative care. Patients with a terminal illness and less than six months to live are the only ones eligible to receive hospice care.
To determine which treatment method is most appropriate for you or your family, you should discuss the options with your doctor or another healthcare provider.