Majority of people have many Questions to Ask About Palliative Care in mind and how long they will need specialist palliative care support. 

But most importantly, people want answers to some of the key questions around what will happen when they’re no longer able to speak for themselves: can palliative care be used alongside curative treatment? How long can specialist palliative care teams continue to support people at the end of life? 

Can we improve the planning and delivery of end-of-life care for everyone, regardless of their diagnosis?

Can palliative care be used alongside curative treatment?

It’s important that your are clear with Questions to Ask About Palliative Care to the experts.

Palliative care can be used alongside curative treatment. It can help with pain and other physical symptoms, psychological and social needs, communication between patients and health professionals, end-of-life decision making and bereavement support.

For example, if you’re receiving chemotherapy for an aggressive form of cancer that is likely to result in death within a few years (a “terminal” diagnosis), palliative care might be appropriate at the same time as curative treatment. 

If your cancer has been diagnosed as being more treatable than terminal (as was my own) then you might still want palliative care alongside curative treatment but perhaps less frequently or intensively so as not to distract from your main goal of having surgery or taking treatments that will extend your life for as long as possible before dying naturally after reaching a point where further treatment becomes futile or pointless.

Palliative care teams are well equipped to discuss their approach with patients who have any concerns about how best they should use their time with their health professional(s).

• How long can specialist palliative care teams continue to support people at the end of life?

This is an important question, because it will help us understand how long we can expect specialist palliative care services to be available in the community.

One way of answering this question is by looking at the length of time that people are accessing these services.

Can we improve the planning and delivery of end-of-life care for everyone, regardless of their diagnosis?

Most people who will die from cancer will benefit from palliative care, but it should be available to everyone regardless of their diagnosis. 

Palliative care can help both people with incurable illnesses (like cancer) and those with chronic illness. This means that palliative care could improve the lives of many more patients than most doctors think.      

The need for better end-of-life planning is clear—but how? How do we ensure that people receive effective palliative care and have good support when they need it?

Conclusion

Palliative care should be available to everyone, regardless of their diagnosis. We know that the most common diagnoses at the end of life are cancer, heart disease, dementia and stroke. But what about those who don’t have these conditions? 

The answer is simple: they still need palliative care because we all have a right to live with dignity, comfort and support. Everyone deserves these things when they die – no matter how young or old they are or their diagnosis!

Consult experts if you are having Questions to Ask About Palliative Care. Hope you found the above blog useful.