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Palliative care is a home health option designed to maximize the comfort of individuals suffering from serious illnesses, including Alzheimer’s, cancer, and kidney disease. For home aides and other home health care professionals across the country, November is Palliative Care Month, a time of year to acknowledge their hard work and learn more about what they do.

Understanding Palliative Care

Boosting Comfort

Suffering from a prolonged illness or recovering from an injury or surgery is an uncomfortable experience. People in these circumstances may face a range of symptoms and side effects that significantly detract from their quality of life.

Palliative-Care-Rochester-NYHome aides and other members of an interdisciplinary team specializing in palliative care take steps to limit a person’s discomfort. This involves coordinating with their physicians to find out what they can do to reduce the impact of these side effects. Symptoms they often treat include nausea, loss of appetite, and pain. They can administer medication to alleviate discomfort or manage the conditions in the home to reduce the frequency of a particular symptom.

Palliative care specialists can also provide emotional support. Many of the people they work with suffer from depression due to their illnesses. It helps to have someone on hand to talk to.

Informing Families

A palliative care specialist also maintains regular contact with family members concerned for their loved one’s well-being. They let them know how well a patient is doing, and what they can do to help. They can also relay information between family members and physicians.

 

Looking for palliative care services in New York’s Finger Lakes region? Contact Lifetime Care in Rochester, NY, serving the area since 1960. They’ve been named a Top Agency of the HomeCare Elite® thanks to the passionate, professional quality of their approach. Contact them online for more information or call (585) 214-1000 today. You can also connect with them on Facebook.

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