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To understand what palliative care is, it is good to first describe the branch of medicine it comes from. Palliative medicine, because that is its name, is both a medical science and a medical specialty covering the care of patients in the last (terminal) stage of an incurable disease. The goal of palliative medicine is slightly different than in other departments of this science, because it does not involve restoring the sick person to health – it only aims to improve the patient’s quality of life at this difficult moment. Therefore, there are no measures to cure the causes of diseases, because the main goal is to alleviate the symptoms of the disease, provide mental support to the patient and his relatives, and relieve pain as effectively as possible.
Palliative care – details
Palliative careas a job requiring special qualifications, it should be performed by a team of specialists with extensive medical and non-medical experience. In this type of team, the key role is the nurse’s function, which is responsible for the daily presence with the dying person. In addition, the composition of specialists also includes a psychiatrist, physiotherapist and supervising doctors.
Palliative care at home
Palliative care may be celebrated at homeand if such a decision results from the lack of financial resources necessary to pay for qualified persons, it is possible to obtain funding from the National Health Fund. Palliative care na NHF it is possible in the case of patients with advanced, unqualified neoplastic diseases and other progressive or life-threatening chronic diseases. Palliative care at home it also includes psychiatric, psychological and social counseling, and even allows access to the rental of necessary medical equipment. To qualify for home palliative care at the National Health Fund, the patient should be registered in the selected center by submitting the following documents:
- a document confirming the patient’s identity,
- medical documentation from the period preceding the application, along with a referral from a family doctor or a doctor from the hospital ward,
- valid, current document confirming the possibility of health services under the insurance.
When the above conditions are met, home palliative care will start with the following dimensions: the nurse will visit the patient at least twice a week, and the doctor at least twice a month.
Moreover, in the event of a deterioration in the health of the person covered palliative care at home and reporting this fact by phone, such visits will take place more frequently, tailored to the individual needs of the patient.
Palliative care in a hospice
Palliative care at home it is not the only way to help terminally ill people. Sick palliatively you can also sign up for a stationary facility, and if it is too much of a financial burden, you can also use a stationary facility palliative care with the National Health Fund. If a patient is reported to a hospice, you can choose a facility that has a contract with the National Health Fund, which will allow you to use this form of care free of charge. It should be noted that in the case of a patient staying in a hospice with a contract with the National Health Fund, all medical services are provided free of charge, which is a difference compared to home palliative careduring which the relatives of the suffering person are burdened with payment for medicines and auxiliaries.
What kind of palliative care should I choose?
Type of chosen palliative care should be adapted to the individual needs of the patient and the possibilities of his relatives. If there is a suspicion that a small amount of leisure time may be an obstacle to proper performance home palliative care, it is good to decide to use the services of one of the many hospice facilities that will provide the sick person with XNUMX-hour assistance.