What is palliative care?
Palliative careis a medical approach that aims to improve the quality of life of patients who suffer from irreversible and incurable diseases. It is most commonly associated with oncological diagnoses. But it is also used in advanced and terminal stages of other diseases. Its main aim is to provide relief in a variety of ways. Palliative approaches are used to relieve physical symptoms such as pain, loss of appetite, nausea and insomnia.
The main aim of palliative careis the highest possible quality of life until the patient’s last moment. The latter does not only include medicines. It is also about creating a calm and comfortable environment, which we achieve by showing support and compassion.
Should palliative careshould be left to the experts?
This type careinvolves taking numerous medications and performing multiple medical procedures. Especially when it comes to patients who have a chance of recovery or a significant and long-term improvement in their condition. Medicines and procedures are only beneficial if they are well timed, the dosage is correct and the combination of medicines is safe.
The main focus of palliative careis to provide a supportive environment for the patient as far as possible, but also includes monitoring and evaluation. Early recognition of a change in a patient’s health status can be crucial. No one can do it better than professionals with years of experience combined with all the necessary equipment. However, patient mental health is also a huge part of palliative care. Even the friendliest and most comfortable hospital can’t compare to a patient’s own home, where they know it. In addition, most sick people need to be in their natural environment to feel comfortable, especially if they have a serious illness.
Can you do it yourself?
Even if you would need to make frequent visits to the doctor or nurse, palliative careyou can provide palliative care for your relative yourself. It has its advantages. The biggest one is that the patient will be at home. No matter what you’re going through, it’s always easier to cope when you’re at home surrounded by loved ones.
Even the most experienced nurse cannot provide the love and care that a family member can give . It is a proven fact that mental health affects physical health. Adverse mental states can affect the immune system, delay recovery from illness or even cause further physical illness and worsen health. With this in mind, every sane person should have their seriously ill family member at home. But it is possible to combine full-time work, careto take care of daily affairs, one’s own life, while providing palliative care? Probably not.
Carers in the home – solving the problem
If you want to make a palliative carebe as effective as possible, but you don’t want to deprive the patient of the comforts of home, it’s best to hire a home caregiver. In this way, the patient still lives in their own environment, which means they can spend more time with loved ones. And when this is combined with the feeling of still being in his own home, it is almost certain that his mental health and mood will improve significantly.
On the other hand, family members do not have to worry about the patient when they are at work, for example, because they know that someone is always watching over them. And work caregiverdoesn ‘t end there. May administer medications, monitor the patient, and assist with activities of daily living.
But most importantly, caregivers provide companionship. They don’t leave the patient alone with their thoughts and keep them occupied. Of course, caregivers are not doctors and cannot treat the patient themselves, but they can accompany them when they need to go to hospital for a check-up. However, when it comes to monitoring, caregiver is the second best option after a health professional. Thanks to his experience, he is able to recognize an emergency situation early and respond appropriately.
And when it comes to finding the right candidate for caregivingthere’s no one better to entrust this daunting task to than Atena. If 14 years of experience and working in almost all EU countries is not enough to convince you, we recommend you contact us and see for yourself what we can do for you.
