Palliative Care v. Hospice Care
Courtney Carter
/ Categories: WELLNESS, 2024

Palliative Care v. Hospice Care

The Differences and Benefits

When facing a serious illness, understanding your care options can make a world of difference. While the terms palliative care and hospice are often used interchangeably, they’re distinctly different types of care, each focusing on a different step in an individual’s care and end-of-life journey.

Simply put, palliative care focuses on maintaining the highest quality of life while managing treatment and other needs while hospice care focuses on the period closest to death.

Here’s a deeper dive into how each supports individuals and families facing serious illness and end of life.

 

What is Palliative Care

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, such as cancer, dementia, COPD, and heart failure. Often called supportive care, palliative care focuses improving quality of life and helping with symptoms.

Because people receiving palliative care may receive medical care for their symptoms along with treatment intended to cure their illness, palliative care aims to help patients understand their choices for medical treatment.

In addition to addressing medical needs, palliative care focuses on the emotional, spiritual, and social needs of the patient and their family. This all-encompassing care is typically provided by a team of specially trained doctors, nurses and other specialists who work to connect patients and families with the resources they need and minimize the disruptions their illness or treatments may cause in daily life.  

Key aspects of palliative care include:

  • Pain and symptom management

  • Help with setting care priorities and preferences

  • Support for patients and loved ones throughout the illness journey

  • Assistance with advance care planning

Palliative care can be provided in a variety of settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and at home.

The benefits of palliative care have been well-researched and documented. Beyond empowering individuals to control their care and quality of life, palliative care is associated with:

 

What is Hospice Care

Hospice care is specialized care for those in the last phase of a terminal illness when curative measures are no longer pursued; typically for those with a life expectancy of six months or less. 

While individuals in hospice do not receive curative treatments for their illness(es), they can get treatment that enhances quality of life. This may include medication for high blood pressure, anxiety, and pain and even special services like speech or physical therapy.

Key aspects of hospice care include:

  • Round-the-clock access to care

  • Pain and symptom relief

  • Emotional and spiritual support for patients and families

  • Bereavement services for loved ones

It’s important to note that if a patient’s condition improves or they decide they wish to resume curative care, they may leave and return to hospice care later.

Hospice care can be provided at home, in hospice centers, or other facilities.

The benefits of hospice care include:

  • Relief suffering

  • Help with medical and non-medical needs

  • Promotion of dignity

  • Support for family and caregivers

  • Closure for patients and families

 

By understanding palliative and hospice care, you and your loved ones can make informed decisions that are in line with your goals, values, and preferences.

For tips on talking to loved ones about serious illness and care—theirs or your own—click here. Whatever you decide to do, be sure to relay any wishes and decisions to the appropriate healthcare provider.

While these conversations may be difficult, it’s important to keep the end goal in mind: preserving personal comfort, dignity, and making the most of your time.

 

Allen Hutcheson, MD, is a family medicine physician and palliative care specialist at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. 

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SVMC Creates Virtual Waiting Room to Encourage Distancing

BENNINGTON, VT—May 29, 2020—Starting Monday, many people who need in-person appointments at Southwestern Vermont Health Care's (SVHC) hospital and clinics will no longer need to use traditional waiting rooms. A virtual system created by the hospital allows patients to call 802-447-5000 when they arrive in the parking lot and receive a text message when their provider is ready to see them.

SVMC's outpatient and inpatient surgeries and diagnostic services, like those for imaging and laboratory work, have resumed with enhanced safety protocols per the directive of Governor Phil Scott. The health system's emergency department, ExpressCare, emergency surgical services, and most of its primary and specialty practices remained open during the pandemic.

"SVHC has provided safe, high-quality care throughout the pandemic." Said Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, Southwestern Vermont Health Care’s (SVHC) president and CEO. "Innovation has been an important part of providing care during these extraordinary times and this new program decreases the number of people in our waiting rooms and allows them to stay the recommended 6 feet apart or more."

In order to use the virtual waiting room, patients must be able to wait in their vehicle and have a charged cell phone with them. They will receive the virtual waiting room telephone number during their appointment-reminder telephone call. Signs outside the building and at the respiratory check-in stations inside the main hospital and medical office building entrances will also include the number to call.

Patients simply call the number when they arrive in the parking lot and wait in their cars. When the provider is ready to see them, they will receive a text message alert to indicate that they should come in.

"We love that we can use the same technology that most people carry with them to help people stay socially distanced," said Gail Balch, RN, who directs information technology at SVMC. "It's through innovations like this one that we are able to resume services safely and ensure patients receive the care they need."

Hospital and clinic staff anticipate that the new program will allow greater distance between people who must use traditional waiting rooms, including those who walked or took public transportation to their appointment and those who do not have a cell phone.

Additional safety protocols indicate that all patients should arrive to the hospital or clinic with their own cloth face covering. Face coverings must be worn over the mouth and nose for the entire duration of patients' visits. Patients should also come alone, unless they absolutely need assistance from a loved one.

For questions about how to resume or initiate elective care, call your primary care provider or the specialist directly. For a list of providers, visit svhealthcare.org/physician-directory.

Patients with cough or shortness of breath or any two of the following—fever, chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell—should contact their primary care provider or the COVID-19 Informational Hotline at 802-440-8844 before arriving to either their provider’s office or the hospital. For a detailed list of safety protocols, frequently asked questions, visitor guidelines, and COVID-19 information, visit svhealthcare.org.

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