Palliative care

Palliative care

Palliative care is care that is given to clients when it is no longer possible to cure a disease. Then you can think of cancer when it has been treated. But dementia, COPD or heart failure are diseases that people cannot cure. With these diseases you can live for weeks, months or even years.

Because someone is no longer able to heal and still lives with this disease for a (long) time, the primary goal of palliative care is to maintain and, where possible, improve the quality of life of the client. In palliative care, attention is paid to physical, social, psychological and spiritual dimensions. In addition, supporting relatives is also an important part of palliative care.

Palliative care is not intended to cure the patient. This care is applied when the patient can no longer heal. The goal, however, is to give the patient life as long as possible with a good quality of life. This goes according to the patient’s own wishes and choices. An attempt is made to prevent inconveniences and to alleviate complaints

Important topics that have to do with palliative care are:

• Quality of life of the client. This includes the wishes and needs of the client and loved ones.
•  Dealing with symptoms (symptom management).
•  Making agreements and joint decision-making.
•  The wishes, ideas and decisions of the client (autonomy of the client / freedom of the client to make decisions).
•  The care is provided by different care providers who work together (integrated and multidimensional approach).
• Healthcare is also aimed at relatives. It is often drastic for the client’s environment when their loved one is sick and can no longer get better.

Difference between palliative care and terminal care

Terminal care

Terminal care is patients with a life expectancy of three months or less than three months.

 With this form of care, unpleasant symptoms of the disease, such as pain, itching or tightness are prevented. Support is also offered for mental complaints such as anxiety or depression. In addition, measures are being taken to ensure that the patient’s final phase of life goes as smoothly as possible.

Palliative care

Palliative care is not intended to cure the patient. This care is applied when the patient can no longer heal. The goal, however, is to give the patient a long life with a good quality of life. This goes according to the patient’s own wishes and choices. An attempt is made to prevent inconveniences and to alleviate complaints.

There are therefore similarities between terminal and palliative care, but there is a big difference: the palliative phase can last much longer (sometimes years), while the terminal phase is often short. The aim of palliative care is therefore to give the patient a good quality of life over the longest possible period, while with terminal care there is more emphasis on the last phase of life.