The empowering potential of end-of-life care

When we scan the medical journals for research to report, we often ask ourselves whether an article suggests something many of us can do to improve our health or well-being. It might come as a surprise, but the articles on end-of-life care in recent issues of the Journal of the American Medical Association and The New England Journal of Medicine actually fit that bill. And they delivered good news. These articles’ collective message is that there is much that medical teams can do to ensure that people have the best days possible in their final months and weeks, and that they die without undue suffering. The takeaway: palliative care and good communication can make all the difference between a difficult death and a peaceful passing. Even if you’re young and healthy, it’s good information to have if a loved one is facing a terminal illness. What palliative care can do Palliative care isn’t designed to treat disease, but to improve the quality of life for people with life-threatening illnesses and their families. A palliative care team concentrates on relieving symptoms and stressors and helps the ill person articulate his or her preferences and set goals. The team may also help explain what to expect as the disease progresses. In one study, people with metastatic cancer who began palliative care early — while they were still undergoing chemotherapy — reported less pain, had lower rates of depression, and even lived longer than people who didn’t receive palliat...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Behavioral Health Cancer Caregiving Health care Source Type: news