Understanding of palliative care
This assignments purpose is to showcase the individual’s conception of the word “palliative care” and try to change or at best educate these individuals if they had any misconceptions.
For this, I interviewed three individuals on their understanding of palliative care. Regarding “who it is provided for”, two thought that it was only used for very sick and old people who were about to die, while one stressed that palliative care is for individuals of all ages. Regarding “what it consists of”, all stated that palliative care involved taking care of an individual’s body, health, and personal hygiene. With respect to the question “when it is provided”, all differed, one stressed that it is used when an individual …show more content…
Regarding “who”, compared to what I learned in class, only one was of the opinion that palliative care was for everyone which is very similar to what I learned in class. Palliative care is for patients and families facing a life-threatening illness to neonates and the frail elderly; in essence, it is for everyone. The other two had the misconception that palliative care is for only the sick and old people about to die. This is wrong because “end of life” care is only a stage in palliative care. Moreover, it depends on what the individual wants and this care is not only available to the elderly. Regarding “what it consists of”, all stated that it involved care of an individual’s body, health, and personal hygiene. Although this may be part of the care an individual receives, this differed from what I was thought in class and was only a minute component of palliative care. Palliative care involves more than just that; it encompasses total individualized care not only for the individual but also supportive care for the family. It also involves an interdisciplinary team approach and effective communication to permit optimal functioning of this team. Moreover, palliative care puts the individual wishes and preferences of the family first in developing a plan of …show more content…
It totally depends on the individual and their wants as they are at the centre of care. It is not used only when an individual is about to die or as a last resort. The individual has a choice as to when care should start during their illness trajectory. Regarding “where” palliative care is offered, all stated the hospital setting which is false and different from what I learned considering that palliative care can be offered anywhere and anytime and is based on the patient needs. Lastly, regarding the question “why”, there were some similarities with some responses dwelling on ensuring comfort and the fact that palliative care focuses on recovery (living), not on dying was also noted. This is similar to what I learned in class but not wholesome. Palliative care is more than this, it is provided to ensure that not only the needs of the patient are met but also the needs of the family. It is also provided to alleviate suffering and ensure that these individuals are relieved of all pain, physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems through impeccable assessment by the care
This assignments purpose is to showcase the individual’s conception of the word “palliative care” and try to change or at best educate these individuals if they had any misconceptions.
For this, I interviewed three individuals on their understanding of palliative care. Regarding “who it is provided for”, two thought that it was only used for very sick and old people who were about to die, while one stressed that palliative care is for individuals of all ages. Regarding “what it consists of”, all stated that palliative care involved taking care of an individual’s body, health, and personal hygiene. With respect to the question “when it is provided”, all differed, one stressed that it is used when an individual …show more content…
Regarding “who”, compared to what I learned in class, only one was of the opinion that palliative care was for everyone which is very similar to what I learned in class. Palliative care is for patients and families facing a life-threatening illness to neonates and the frail elderly; in essence, it is for everyone. The other two had the misconception that palliative care is for only the sick and old people about to die. This is wrong because “end of life” care is only a stage in palliative care. Moreover, it depends on what the individual wants and this care is not only available to the elderly. Regarding “what it consists of”, all stated that it involved care of an individual’s body, health, and personal hygiene. Although this may be part of the care an individual receives, this differed from what I was thought in class and was only a minute component of palliative care. Palliative care involves more than just that; it encompasses total individualized care not only for the individual but also supportive care for the family. It also involves an interdisciplinary team approach and effective communication to permit optimal functioning of this team. Moreover, palliative care puts the individual wishes and preferences of the family first in developing a plan of …show more content…
It totally depends on the individual and their wants as they are at the centre of care. It is not used only when an individual is about to die or as a last resort. The individual has a choice as to when care should start during their illness trajectory. Regarding “where” palliative care is offered, all stated the hospital setting which is false and different from what I learned considering that palliative care can be offered anywhere and anytime and is based on the patient needs. Lastly, regarding the question “why”, there were some similarities with some responses dwelling on ensuring comfort and the fact that palliative care focuses on recovery (living), not on dying was also noted. This is similar to what I learned in class but not wholesome. Palliative care is more than this, it is provided to ensure that not only the needs of the patient are met but also the needs of the family. It is also provided to alleviate suffering and ensure that these individuals are relieved of all pain, physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems through impeccable assessment by the care