Traditional Healthcare
Traditional healthcare is what most people think of when they think “healthcare.” It includes the skilled nurses that help you recover from a serious fall, and the speech therapists who aid their patients in re-learning certain language abilities after a stroke. Following the customary disease-model of medical treatment, traditional healthcare encompasses everything from wound care, to physical therapy, to leading the patient toward a more active lifestyle.
Although palliative care and hospice may incorporate one or more of these elements, they are intended to achieve completely different goals for the patient.
Hospice
Patients and their families call on hospice care when curative treatments are no longer desired, and healthcare goals have shifted from quantity of days to quality of days. Hospice care provides immense spiritual comfort and companionship during the end-of-life period; thus, chaplains play a key role on the hospice team, often ministering tirelessly as the end approaches. Serenity Point Hospice professionals are highly trained in a number of areas related to hospice: skilled nursing, pastoral care, medical social work, and in-home aide care.
It is not an easy decision to move into the hospice stage, but the vast majority of patients are surprised at the sense of freedom and peace that it brings to themselves and their families.
Palliative Care
Palliative care focuses on providing relief from the pain, stress, and symptoms of life-limiting illnesses. This type of care is frequently given to cancer patients or people with chronic illnesses like COPD and renal disease. First and foremost, palliative care strives to relieve suffering and improve quality of life.
Often, this means striking the right balance of medications; for example, many cancer patients feel a renewed sense of energy after finding the right regimen of anti-nausea medications and pain reducers. But it can also mean taking a holistic approach with the aid of a mental health professional, medical social worker, and/or chaplain. Serenity Point Hospice licensed home health specialists work in tandem with your doctor to bring happiness and comfort to your life in any stage of illness.