Frequently Asked Questions

Palliative care for cancer patients can start when you’re first diagnosed and can help you manage the physical and emotional symptoms of the illness. It’s available throughout your illness and can help ease the side effects of treatment and support you and your family. Hospice care is end-of-life care and focuses on patient comfort. Palliative care may be part of hospice care as a holistic approach to pain care. Neither palliative care nor hospice care are considered creative care.

Chronic illness palliative care can complement your traditional medicine care plan. Curative treatment focuses on curing the underlying cause of chronic illness or actively treating the symptoms. Palliative care, on the other hand, is intended to help ease the physical symptoms of a chronic illness, including pain management techniques. It’s supportive care for the patient and their family. Palliative caregivers can help you find community resources for emotional and financial support and provide practical guidance for your concerns.

First, evaluate your loved ones’ needs, so you know what kind of Helena, MT, elderly care services they require. Some seniors need help with activities of daily living, like doing chores, preparing meals, or paying bills. Others require assistance with personal care, including grooming, bathing, getting dressed, and, in some cases, inconvenience care. Look for caregivers that provide the services your loved one needs, then work with the care provider to find someone your senior feels comfortable with and trusts.

Senior home health care services are similar to treatments and care that someone would receive in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or assisted living. Many in-home treatments include physical and occupational therapy or speech therapy. Medication management, including diabetic care and blood glucose monitoring, are other common services. Your senior home healthcare provider can work with your loved one’s treatment team to determine which services can be administered in the home. Skilled nurses can evaluate the patient’s symptoms and treat certain conditions, like wound care or checking on the positioning of ports.

Yes, terminal illness hospice care can be provided in the patient’s home. Many people who cease curative care opt for the quality-of-life care and comfort that hospice provides and would prefer to spend their last days in comfortable, familiar surroundings. However, hospice care is also provided to patients in the hospital or, skilled nursing or memory care facilities. The intent of in-home hospice care is to soothe the “total pain” of the individual, giving them comfort and support and pain management therapy as needed. Hospice care includes the family, helping them support their loved one and providing grief and bereavement services.

Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for patients with serious illnesses at any stage, alongside curative treatments. Hospice care is a type of palliative care for patients nearing the end of life (typically with a prognosis of six months or less), emphasizing comfort over curative treatments.

Anyone with a serious or chronic illness, such as cancer, heart disease, or dementia, can receive palliative care, regardless of their prognosis or whether they are pursuing curative treatments.

Hospice care is appropriate when a patient has a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months or less, as determined by a physician, and chooses to focus on comfort rather than curative treatments.

Palliative care can be provided in assisted livings, outpatient clinics, nursing homes or at home. Hospice care is typically provided at home, but it can also occur in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, or hospitals.

Palliative care includes pain and symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, coordination of care, and assistance with treatment decisions, tailored to the patient’s needs and goals.

Hospice care offers pain and symptom relief, nursing care, emotional and spiritual counseling, social services, respite care for caregivers, and bereavement support for families after the patient’s passing.

Most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover palliative care to varying extents. Hospice care is fully covered under Medicare’s Hospice Benefit and many private insurance plans for eligible patients.

Yes, patients can leave hospice care and enroll in palliative care at any time if their condition improves or they choose to resume curative treatments. They can also return to hospice later if needed.

Palliative care provides families with counseling, education about the illness, help navigating healthcare decisions, and support to reduce stress and improve communication.

Both use a combination of medications, therapies, and non-drug approaches (like relaxation techniques) to manage pain and other symptoms, tailored to the patient’s needs and comfort goals.

The palliative care team typically includes doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other specialists who work together to address the patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Yes, palliative care can be provided alongside treatments aimed at curing or managing the illness, such as chemotherapy or surgery, to improve comfort and quality of life.

Hospice care includes chaplains or spiritual counselors who offer support tailored to the patient’s and family’s beliefs, helping them find meaning, peace, or closure.

Respite care allows caregivers a temporary break by providing short-term care (up to five days) for the patient in a skilled nursing facility, ensuring the patient’s needs are met.

Decisions are made collaboratively between the patient, family, and care team, focusing on the patient’s goals, values, and preferences for comfort and quality of life.