Comfort Care, Hospice or Palliative Care? What’s the difference?

Hospice and Palliative offer different services and could become confusing on which to choose from. Overall, they both offer the comfort a patient needs for end-of-life planning. End-of-life planning can be overwhelming, which is why palliative, or hospice care can be a great fit for you! Read more to identify the difference between them all and which option is beneficial for you!

What is Comfort care?

Comfort care is a way of relieving pain for a patient. Comfort Care is simply another term for Palliative Care. Palliative specialist usually offers certain treatments for specific diagnoses. Comfort care is needed for every aspect of the patient’s needs. It can be physical care for symptoms the person is dealing with and emotional care in helping cope with the end of life.

The overall goal for comfort care is to help patients live a better life during their last days and help them with any discomfort affecting them.

What is Palliative care?

Palliative care offers a diagnosis and treatment for the disease the patient has. This is very important because it take the patient straight to the treatment they need for relief. Palliative care includes family support and the overall emotional and physical life effects for each patient. The main treatment offered for the patient’s physical needs are:

Integrative therapies
Medication
Nutritional guidance
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy

The treatments offered for the patient’s emotional needs include counseling, support groups, family meeting and referrals to mental health care facilities.

What is Hospice care?

Hospice care is a more internal structure that helps plan overall the end-of-life. Palliative care is one of the services that adds to it. The overall goal is to help ease pain and relief to make the patient accept their fate. For hospice care, we generally accept patients that have 6-months or less of life expectancy. With this option you can choose to be at home with loved ones for the last months of living or be emitted to a hospice facility. Either one work almost the same, at home would be more one-on-one which would be more beneficial nowadays with Covid-19 going on.

The difference between Hospice and Palliative(comfort):

Even though hospice and palliative care may sound similar in-service offerings, both may have many differences. The main differences are the availability and eligibility each have.

For palliative care have service offerings for right away diagnosis for their patient. The patient does not have to have a time stamp for life expectancy, and they include symptom relief. They help patients have a set medical plan for their diagnosis. They offer emotional support therapies for any means. Prolonging treatment is qualified for patients to help with better relief.

The health care professionals that are typically involved in palliative care are usually nurses, primary physicians, pharmacists, social workers, and councilors.

The financial means for palliative care offer insurance coverage. Depending on the insurance chosen will either limit or benefit the number of services being offered.

For Hospice care have services offering to patients who only have a 6-month or less life expectancy. These patients must have a terminal illness to be eligible certified by a physician. The hospice professionals help make a set plan for end of life and help patients accept the end of life.

In order to be eligible for hospice care the patient must have stopped prolonging treatment.

Prolonging treatment is equipment used to extend the life of the patient according to diagnoses. These machines can help maintain the patient’s relief or better their organs. For hospice care these patients must be in the last stages of life which is why they cannot be using prolonging treatment.

Curative treatment

Curative care treatment is offered to better or cure a disease for a patient. This is to prevent illnesses or worsen a disease. The goal is to overcome the illness and restore everything.

Palliative care can provide curative treatment. A patient does not have to give up treatment while under these services.

For information on hospice care and palliative care, reach out to us to see what best benefits you.