What is Supportive & Palliative Care?

What is Supportive Care?

It is a care provided to all patients being treated for complex diseases during acute phase of disease and while recovering from it. It relieves their physical symptoms and makes them mobile. Its focus is mainly on disease and relieving physical problems. The term Supportive Care is sometimes used interchangeably with Palliative Care also. The Supportive Care is provided by family physicians, internists, critical care experts, specialists / super specialists and other support staff in the hospitals. Supportive Care is a component of palliative care.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is given to patients suffering from incurable chronic, progressive and life limiting diseases to relieve their pain and other distressing symptoms. In addition to this, emotional, psychological, spiritual, social and financial needs of the patients their families and care givers are also addressed. Palliative Care can be provided in the OPD, Daycare, IPD, and at home.

The family members/care givers are trained to provide desired care at home. Family members are also provided a list of anticipated distressing symptoms, so that they can immediately get in touch with the emergency dept to prevent any life threatening event.

OPD and IPD Palliative Care is provided by a multidisciplinary team of palliative care experts, physicians, psychologists, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapy experts, nutritionists, palliative care nurses, volunteers etc.

Benefits of Supportive and Palliative Care

• Improves quality of life, interpersonal relationships and survival rates.
• Relieves pain and other distressing symptoms
• Prevents unnecessary investigations, hospitalization, use of drugs / procedures, their side effects and complications.
• Saves valuable resources
• Helps in developing positive attitude and accepting the normal course of illness and its progression.
• Makes patients understand that with will power and medical support they can work consciously and actively to live a symptom free, comfortable, independent and dignified life.
• Relieves suffering of family members and care givers and prepares them for bereavement.