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The Secret of Palliative Care: Why Do Terminally Ill Patients Choose Comfort Over Cure?
Palliative care offers an important option for patients and their families facing terminal illness. During this period, pain relief and improved quality of life became the core focus of treatment, rather than pursuing treatment outcomes that might not be achievable. Through holistic care, hospice care not only meets physical needs, but also pays attention to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients, allowing them to find comfort and dignity in the last stage of life.
Palliative care focuses on the patient's comfort and quality of life, with the primary goals of reducing suffering and promoting peace and dignity.
Definition of palliative care
Palliative care is a type of medical care that focuses on terminally ill patients, relieving their pain, symptoms, and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs during their final stage of life. The focus of this type of care is comfort rather than simply prolonging life. Many patients choose hospice palliative care because it is more aligned with their personal treatment goals and reduces the likelihood of further distress due to side effects.
Historical Background of Palliative Care
The concept of palliative care can be traced back to 11th century Europe, where it initially developed under the influence of religious and charitable institutions. The earliest hospice palliative care settings grew out of the idea of providing a sanctuary for the sick. In the 20th century, Dame Cicely Saunders became a pioneer of modern palliative care, emphasizing the importance of holistic care that includes the treatment of the body, mind, and spirit.
“Palliative care puts the patient’s needs first and focuses on the patient’s overall physical, mental and spiritual well-being rather than just the disease itself.”
Implementation of palliative care
In the United States, palliative care is often provided through the Medicare system. Hospice programs in the United States typically target terminally ill patients who are expected to live less than six months and provide support from a multidisciplinary team of professionals, including doctors, nurses, social workers and volunteers, to help patients and their families through this difficult period.
The role of family members
Palliative care is not just about caring for patients; family support and participation are equally important. The implementation of such medical treatment usually requires that family members also adjust to the impending loss and receive the necessary psychological support and guidance.
The success of palliative care lies in open communication between the patient and family and in building a trusting care environment to meet the patient's final expectations.
Challenges and prospects of palliative care
Although palliative care is gaining increasing recognition, there are still problems such as cultural taboos against actively facing death and inappropriate allocation of medical resources. Therefore, the practice of palliative care may vary in different cultural and national settings, and further efforts are still needed to promote this concept.
Differences in international practice
As global awareness of palliative care increases, the practices of different countries are gradually developing their own characteristics. In some countries, palliative care is considered essential health care, while in other regions it still faces resource constraints and poor perceptions.
ConclusionPalliative care offers a comfortable option for terminally ill patients to enjoy dignity and peace in their final stages of life. Against the backdrop of global advancement, how can the future medical community better integrate palliative care so that every patient can receive care that meets their individual needs? This is a proposition worthy of our deep consideration.
