No, this is not true.
Palliative care is offered at any stage of the disease. The accompaniment can start from the moment of diagnosis, continue throughout the disease and reach the moment of bereavement or survival.
They can even be provided to patients with illnesses that are not terminal, but which carry a high symptom burden and a marked deterioration in quality of life.
For example, in cancer patients, with potentially curable diseases, who are undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery that may produce pain, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness and other symptoms, we make use of different strategies that allow the patient to feel better, tolerate their treatments properly and therefore complete them successfully and obtain better results.
Also remember that they are not only for cancer patients, there are many patients with other advanced diseases, such as cardiac, pulmonary, renal, infectious and neurological among others, who benefit from our accompaniment.
When a patient is sent to Palliative Care, is it because “there is nothing more to do”?
False.
Every day we learn more about the benefits of Palliative Care and we try to give patients access to a specialized team as early as possible.
Being in Palliative Care does not mean that the patient’s treatments are suspended. Palliative Care is not exclusive, we work together with the other specialties. As diseases progress, treatments may no longer be effective and symptom control becomes more important.
Palliative care accompaniment has been shown to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. It improves depression rates, allows a better understanding of the disease, decreases unnecessary hospitalizations, improves survival by allowing better adherence and tolerance to treatments, helps in decision making, end of life planning.
Our patients and their families feel supported, listened to, accompanied and with the integral vision of Palliative Care, we will always find “much to do” to mitigate suffering.
