Issue 20.14
To be told you have a terminal disease or chronic illness by your physician is a shock to one’s system! It leaves a person spinning mentally and emotionally regarding their immediate future. The first thing that comes to mind is: Who can I turn to for help or treatment? The patient as well as family members is often in a quandary about what to do next after receiving such news.
For the terminally ill, hospice care is often recommended by the doctor. Yet many folks and their families may not be ready to hear this advice as their only medical choice. This is a difficult step for some patients when they initially get the news of a life threatening illness.
Fortunately, now there is another treatment option for most patients. There is a medical alternative service which provides the person the time and care he or she needs to adjust to this life-changing news. It’s called palliative care. Many doctors are unaware of this new medical service and therefore may not suggest this option to their terminally ill patients.
Palliative care can be defined as: “Medical care to prevent and relieve suffering, and to support the best possible quality of life for patients and their families regardless of the stage of the disease or the need for other therapies. Palliative Care expands traditional disease model medical treatments to include the goal of enhancing quality of life for the patient and family.” (Primer of Palliative Care, 5th edition.)
Palliative care is a medical service provided to patients and their families who are dealing with the sudden news of a life threatening illness. There is a team of health professionals ready to guide the patient and family through the steps and treatment needed in handling their health issues in this scary time of life when the doctor states: “There is nothing more I can do for you.”
Southern Utah Home Care and Hospice has always been at the forefront in providing the best medical service and care to patients. Our medical staff now provides outpatient palliative care to those in need of this service here in St. George and the surrounding area. If you would like to know more about palliative care and its benefits for you or a family member, just call Sheila Taysom or Debbie Cox at 435-634-9300 or Lisa Ross in Hurricane at 635-9300.
I’d like to thank Shelia Taysom of SUHCH and Cindy Etzler of IHC for their informative workshop presentation on Palliative Care given to the Chaplain’s Association of St. George.
Luigi Persichetti is the spiritual counselor for Southern Home Care and Hospice and retired Unity Minister from Unity Center of Positive Living in St. George.