Ask anyone why the month of November is important and they’ll tell you it’s all about Thanksgiving. While that may be true, November is also National Home Care and Hospice Month. It’s one of those remembrances that kind of slips under the radar because let’s face it: unless we find ourselves in a situation where a loved one needs care of this sort, home and/or hospice care is one of those areas that can be easily forgotten. Hopefully that mindset is changing because aging is challenging enough when you’re healthy. Imagine how the process can be when you’re not feeling fit as a fiddle.
In New York – where I currently reside – a significant piece of legislation – The New York State Palliative Care Information Act (PCIA) – is impacting not only aging but also end-of-life issues. The PCIA is a simple-enough law which makes it mandatory for doctors to offer patients with terminal illness (or their representatives) information about prognosis and options regarding end-of-life care. According to the New York Department of Health, some of these options include hospice care, aggressive pain management and life-sustaining treatment.
A Delicate Subject
Hospice care is not an easy subject to broach but for patients this is good news. Palliative care includes a team of interdisciplinary professionals that work together with primary care doctors and staff and provide care options appropriate to a specific patient. Not only to prevent or relieve pain and suffering but to enhance a patient’s quality of life. According to New York Department of Health, the key benefit of palliative care is that its objective/aim is to look at the patient as a whole in order to meet the individual needs of each individual and their family.
A Secular Approach
An individualized approach to treatment would seem like standard operating procedure when it comes to hospice care but unfortunately that is not always the case. Each patient is different and has different needs. The PCIA empowers patients by counseling them about palliative care options in order to make informed decisions about future care and treatment.
Dignity and Respect
A recent study revealed that patients with end-stage lung cancer experienced less depression and were less likely to choose and/or receive aggressive end-of-life treatment after receiving both symptom-focused palliative care in addition to standard cancer therapy. The study also showed that those patients who opted for palliative care counseling lived three months longer than those who received only cancer treatment.
To that end, New York law now requires health care providers to provide and make accessible a complete list of care options for the patient.
The concept of hospice and palliative care isn’t unique to just the state of New York nor is it limited to just the month of November. Millions of families deal with the topic of terminal illness on a daily basis and do so all year long.
Fortunately, the benefits of palliative care – for the patient, the family and the physician – is providing some sense of relief.