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Karla2008 Asked December 2017

What happens when they say your parent needs palliative care?

Karla2008 Dec 2017
Palliative Care at the hospital . For recomendation of his oncologist.
My dad was in a rehabilitation center, but they were not taken care of him they put my dad in private room . Most of the time when I visited him I found him dirty, with the sheets completely wet with urine..He was in the rehab center for only 2 weeks.

cwillie Dec 2017
The implications are the same whether he is in palliative care or hospice, the doctors will no longer be looking for a cure but will instead focus on making his final time on this earth as comfortable as possible. To me, if someone who has cancer is advised to think of palliative care it means that the treatments available will not be of any benefit and you should all prepare for his death, sorry if that is too blunt but I don't know any better way to say it.  If the doctors are telling you he has only a week to live then your main objective is to keep him pain free and to provide as much of your time as you can.... do you have others in the family to be with you, have you told them the end is close?

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BarbBrooklyn Dec 2017
Karla, is dad on Hospice? That is the question you need to ask.
I'm not sure if English is your first language, but palliative care, with a small " p" and Hospice might mean the same thing.

Karla2008 Dec 2017
He is in the hospital, with palliative care.. but now I'm confuse I don't know if he have the correct care...

Bella7 Dec 2017
Big hug Karla, so sorry

BarbBrooklyn Dec 2017
Karla, I went back and read some of your other posts. Is dad on Hospice? Hospice care is a kind of palliative care. Palliative care means care that doesn't cure, it helps with symptoms like pain, anxiety and agitation.

I'm so sorry that you're going through this.

blannie Dec 2017
Karla, it sounds like hospice care is more appropriate than palliative care. My mom had hospice for the last week of her life (I had no idea she was that close to the end when i called in hospice). The nurse helped me understand what was happening with mom and what to expect as her body shut down. This is a difficult time for you I'm sure. {{{Hugs}}}

Karla2008 Dec 2017
Thank you, he is getting worse It is bleeding a lot, doctors say no more than a week of life ..😢

LivingSouth Dec 2017
One of the main goals is to catch any problem before it gets worse - although our program is so over stretched that the visits are getting to be every other month or so.

RebeccaCP Dec 2017
Palliative care is simply care focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious and life-limiting illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. It's a speciality, of sorts. It is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support for the patient and the family.

What is your parent's underlying condition? It may help us let you know what to expect in your case, perhaps.

There are internet resources out there, as well. For instance, at getpalliativecare.org/whatis/disease-types - you can select the condition, and it provides information as to the kind of palliative options that may be used as a support mechanism for your parent's underlying condition. There are other resources on this page, as well as other internet sites.

Best wishes.

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