What is Palliative Care?
Palliative Care sees the person beyond the disease.
It is a fundamental shift in focus for health care delivery.
Palliative Care sees the person beyond the disease.
It is a fundamental shift in focus for health care delivery.
Palliative care, also known as palliative medicine, is specialized medical care for people living with serious illness. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness - whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Palliative Care is appropriate at any stage and at any age of a serious illness and can be provided at the same time as life-prolonging treatment. Palliative care addresses physical, emotional. social, and spiritual needs and facilitates patient autonomy; access to information and choice; and treatment to relieve pain and other symptoms.
The Palliative Care is a team approach to care. The core team includes doctor, nurse and social work palliative care specialists. Massage Therapists, pharmacist, nutritionists, chaplains and others may also be part of the team.
The Palliative Care team has an expertise in the management of pain and other troublesome symptoms that may develop during the course of a serious illness. The goal of symptom management is to help the patient remain as comfortable, active and alert as possible. Good symptom control enables the patient to continue with favorite activities and enjoy the company of family and friends.
The patient's care plan is individual and focuses on maximum comfort. Palliative Care carefully monitors symptoms and uses a combination of medications tailored to the needs of each patient.
Individual and family counseling Palliative Care focuses on the whole person: mind, body and spirit. How the illness personally affects the lives of the patient and family is important. Everyone copes in different ways. Support is tailored to the needs and preferences of each individual. Supportive counseling is provided to those who find having a quiet time to reflect and to address their concerns helpful.
The Palliative Care team spends as much time as necessary with the patient and their family. The become a partner with the patient, the family and other doctors. They support the patient and the family every step of the way, not only by controlling patient's symptoms but by helping the patient and their family understand the treatment options and goals.
It is the goal of Regina Cobb, Program Director of the HBMT Program to guide the professionals under her care to become an integral part of the Palliative Care Team approach described by Dr. Diane Meier of the Center for Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and Dr. Maria Aileen Soriano-Pisaturo of RWMC Palliative Care. Dr. Meier has stated: “Recent studies show that palliative care patients live longer than other patients. If practiced correctly, it’s practiced as a team with a physician, a fellow, a nurse practitioner, a social worker, massage, art, and yoga therapists, and a chaplain.”
To this end the HBMT program was designed to enhance the clinical skills of the Oncology Massage Therapist through lectures and critical thinking analysis studies. This is reinforced by the unique opportunity to be a part of the RWMC infrastructure and provide hands on massage interaction with patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation and hospital stays following treatment or surgery and other health care conditions.
The Oncology Massage Therapist is trained to employ integrative massage skills with protocols specific to pressure adjustment, sites to avoid, and client positioning. They are also trained to observe the physiological changes a patient may display during the massage session so they can work safely and skillfully with this population.
The Oncology Massage Therapists utilize the appropriate gentle massage techniques of the hands, feet, back, neck and shoulders when working with this compromised community. They are much attuned to the patient while in their presence and some of the exchanges between the Patients and Oncology Massage Therapists have been life changing moments for both.
RFERENCE SITES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Center for the Advance of Palliative Care (CAPC): https://www.capc.org/about/palliative-care/
Get Palliative Care: https://getpalliativecare.org/whatis/
World Health Organization (WHO) Definition of Palliative Care: http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/
Palliative Care is appropriate at any stage and at any age of a serious illness and can be provided at the same time as life-prolonging treatment. Palliative care addresses physical, emotional. social, and spiritual needs and facilitates patient autonomy; access to information and choice; and treatment to relieve pain and other symptoms.
The Palliative Care is a team approach to care. The core team includes doctor, nurse and social work palliative care specialists. Massage Therapists, pharmacist, nutritionists, chaplains and others may also be part of the team.
The Palliative Care team has an expertise in the management of pain and other troublesome symptoms that may develop during the course of a serious illness. The goal of symptom management is to help the patient remain as comfortable, active and alert as possible. Good symptom control enables the patient to continue with favorite activities and enjoy the company of family and friends.
The patient's care plan is individual and focuses on maximum comfort. Palliative Care carefully monitors symptoms and uses a combination of medications tailored to the needs of each patient.
Individual and family counseling Palliative Care focuses on the whole person: mind, body and spirit. How the illness personally affects the lives of the patient and family is important. Everyone copes in different ways. Support is tailored to the needs and preferences of each individual. Supportive counseling is provided to those who find having a quiet time to reflect and to address their concerns helpful.
The Palliative Care team spends as much time as necessary with the patient and their family. The become a partner with the patient, the family and other doctors. They support the patient and the family every step of the way, not only by controlling patient's symptoms but by helping the patient and their family understand the treatment options and goals.
It is the goal of Regina Cobb, Program Director of the HBMT Program to guide the professionals under her care to become an integral part of the Palliative Care Team approach described by Dr. Diane Meier of the Center for Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and Dr. Maria Aileen Soriano-Pisaturo of RWMC Palliative Care. Dr. Meier has stated: “Recent studies show that palliative care patients live longer than other patients. If practiced correctly, it’s practiced as a team with a physician, a fellow, a nurse practitioner, a social worker, massage, art, and yoga therapists, and a chaplain.”
To this end the HBMT program was designed to enhance the clinical skills of the Oncology Massage Therapist through lectures and critical thinking analysis studies. This is reinforced by the unique opportunity to be a part of the RWMC infrastructure and provide hands on massage interaction with patients receiving chemotherapy, radiation and hospital stays following treatment or surgery and other health care conditions.
The Oncology Massage Therapist is trained to employ integrative massage skills with protocols specific to pressure adjustment, sites to avoid, and client positioning. They are also trained to observe the physiological changes a patient may display during the massage session so they can work safely and skillfully with this population.
The Oncology Massage Therapists utilize the appropriate gentle massage techniques of the hands, feet, back, neck and shoulders when working with this compromised community. They are much attuned to the patient while in their presence and some of the exchanges between the Patients and Oncology Massage Therapists have been life changing moments for both.
RFERENCE SITES FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Center for the Advance of Palliative Care (CAPC): https://www.capc.org/about/palliative-care/
Get Palliative Care: https://getpalliativecare.org/whatis/
World Health Organization (WHO) Definition of Palliative Care: http://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/