Understanding the Right to Palliative Care Service

by | Dec 10, 2014 | Hospice Care

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People sometimes make the mistake of assuming that they have to go with the options that their doctor offers to them. This is particularly tragic when a disease reaches the stage where none of those options are very good. Even in the worst cases of illnesses like cancer, for example, a doctor will still have the option of using things like chemotherapy and radiation in an effort to fight back the disease. Often, though, these approaches continue to be used, even on patients who are at a stage where they have very little chance of doing anything positive.

Every patient with a terminal illness should understand that they have the right to choose to forgo further attempts at curing the disease, and to instead receive Palliative Care Service in Central Virginia. This is an approach to medical care that focuses exclusively on making the patient as comfortable and happy as possible, for however much time remains. It tends to be particularly attractive to people who would otherwise be receiving treatments like chemotherapy, which have a lot of value but also tend to be the source of many of the painful and debilitating symptoms that people normally associate with the diseases that they’re intended to treat.

Patients who switch to Palliative Care Service in Central Virginia often experience a period where their health actually improves a little, though there is no guarantee of this. It’s important that both the patient and the family understand that this does not mean that an actual cure is in progress. Instead, patients with illnesses like cancer seem to improve after they stop treatment because the treatments themselves are so toxic and have so many side effects. Once those curative efforts stop, the side effects go away and the patient is left with only the symptoms that are directly caused by their disease.

Palliative Care is available for patients who have reached a stage where it no longer makes sense to try to seek a cure or actively attempt to delay death. They focus on the physical and emotional comfort of the patient, as well as their ability to be with their family and friends in meaningful ways. No one can stop death forever, and so there is a time when patients need help from someone who is focused on making sure that they can spend their final days in a way that is meaningful. For more info visit Hospice Of The Piedmont.

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