It’s Not the Same as Hospice Services – and More Misconceptions – Cleared Up by Phoenix Home Care & Hospice
Don’t let confusion about palliative care make you reconsider whether it’s a viable option for your or your loved one’s health care and chronic disease management.
Instead, consider these five myths about palliative care and let us clear up the misinformation about this very important service offering, part of the Comprehensive Disease Management program from Phoenix Home Care & Hospice.
Myth 1: Palliative Care and Hospice Are the Same
Palliative care and hospice can be confusing to differentiate if you’re unfamiliar with these two services. However, they are actually quite different and benefit a variety of people with wide-ranging health issues.
Palliative care helps people manage their chronic or life-limiting diseases while they receive aggressive treatment. The service can include pain management and “comfort care,” while addressing symptoms or medication side effects.
Conversely, hospice is for those who have a life-limiting disease that they no longer wish to treat. At its most basic level, hospice care helps people live as fully as possible and stay comfortable during the last days, weeks, or months of their lives.
Myth 2: Palliative Care Is for Untreatable Illness Only
Nearly everyone who receives palliative care is also actively treating an illness – some which are incurable, but manageable. Thus, it is untrue to say that palliative care is only for those with untreatable illnesses.
People receive palliative care while they’re treating chronic or life-limiting illnesses like:
- Diabetes
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Lung disease
- Kidney disease
- Dementia
- And more
Many of these chronic diseases are treatable to enable the patient to continue to lead fulfilling lives and make memories with their families.
Myth 3: It’s Impossible to Receive Palliative Care at Home
When you think of traditional medical care, you likely envision trips to the doctor’s office, planning for transportation, and inconvenience, especially for someone living with a chronic illness. Thankfully, palliative care at home does not fall into this stereotype.
Phoenix Home Care & Hospice makes palliative care convenient through a specialized Comprehensive Disease Management program. And because all our skilled nurses, social workers, and other team members visit you wherever you live, you don’t have to worry about exhausting trips to the doctor’s office or finding help leaving your home.
Myth 4: Palliative Care Only Assists with Disease Management
Those seeking palliative care services may be surprised to find just how helpful this level of care can be. And although it’s true that many palliative care providers don’t offer help beyond disease management, some do – and that’s what sets Phoenix Home Care & Hospice apart!
Our Comprehensive Disease Management service also includes assistance with advance planning, including durable power of attorney or advance directives, meal delivery services, and more. Our program offers a holistic approach, including a framework for self-management, so that patients and their loved ones can make informed choices, set goals, and manage disease progression. Phoenix Home Care & Hospice can also offer support for family caregivers, includingrespite care through our private duty care service.
There is far more than meets the eye when it comes to palliative care; learn more about our comprehensive offering by contacting Phoenix Home Care & Hospice.
Myth 5: Palliative Care Is Prohibitively Expensive
It’s a common myth that any type of specialized medical care will be costly. This absolutely isn’t the case with our palliative care program.
Additionally, palliative care can help lower out-of-pocket medical costs by:
- Decreasing emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and falls.
- Identifying ways to reduce the cost of treatment through smarter decision-making.
- Reducing the risk of complications of chronic disease through careful management.
As you can see, palliative care services are actually meant to decrease the overall cost of care, especially at Phoenix, where we don’t charge for our Comprehensive Disease Management program.
Learn More About Our Comprehensive Disease Management Program
Phoenix Home Care & Hospice offers Comprehensive Disease Management – a component of which is palliative care – in Missouri in Branson, Independence, Joplin, Lebanon, and Springfield, and in Kansas in Hutchinson, Overland Park, Topeka, and Wichita.
To determine whether you or your loved one could benefit from palliative care or the rest of our Comprehensive Disease Management program services, contact us by phone at (855) 881-7442, or by sending a message online.
Our experts can help you identify the services that may be helpful to you as you navigate your complex healthcare journey. We look forward to hearing from you!
