Palliative care, or caregiving focused on reducing pain, relieving systems, and improving quality of life conditions for the patient, is some of the most crucial medical care that people living with serious illnesses and other chronic conditions can receive. However, according to the World Health Organization, while an estimated 56.8 million people yearly could benefit from palliative caregiving services, only 14% of people worldwide who need this care currently receive it.
For those seeking compassionate, safe Arizona palliative home care services, finding the right person or people to provide this crucial service is essential. With the right team, you or the patient in your life can receive consistent care designed to meet a wide variety of physical and emotional needs, so they can maintain the best quality of life possible. In this article, we’ll discuss optimal options for palliative home caregiving before breaking down five crucial ways in which Arizona palliative home care services can benefit patients.
Benefits of Having a Dedicated Care Team
In the field of Arizona palliative home care, having a team of care providers dedicated to providing essential services is one of the best ways to ensure the well-being of a home care patient. First and foremost, maintaining a dedicated team of professionals creates a sense of consistency that can bolster seamless, continuous care. Consistent caregivers are more likely to be aware of the patient’s ongoing treatments, preferences, and goals. This also facilitates the ability of those care professionals to build trust with the patient, establishing a strong bond that will help the palliative care recipient feel comfortable, understood, and safe.
Additionally, utilizing a dedicated caregiving team who have had the time and space to observe the patient’s needs and build a rapport means that caregivers will be able to respond faster if and when the patient’s needs change or evolve. Greater familiarity with the care recipient allows members of your loved one’s care team to anticipate, understand, and effectively respond to any changes in the patient’s condition as they occur.
5 Ways Arizona Palliative Home Care Teams Help Patients
1. Personalized Care Plans
Every single patient is different, with unique and specific desires and needs, so cookie-cutter care plans won’t cut it! Instead, compassionate and competent palliative care teams should tailor the services they provide to the needs of the patient. Many home caregiving companies and services create plans based on the individual patient’s medical conditions, emotional or psychological well-being, religious or cultural needs, and, when necessary, the needs and desires of their loved ones.
Tailoring plans also often allows the patient greater control over their care, such as the ability to make advance care planning decisions, letting them maintain dignity and control at a time in their life when they may feel at their most emotionally, mentally, or physically vulnerable.
2. Pain and Symptom Management
Long-term, one of the most important roles of palliative care professionals is recognizing and alleviating pain and other symptoms of serious or terminal illnesses, such as shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation and anxiety. This care can manifest in many different forms, including administering medications, helping patients with physical therapy exercises to reduce pain and maintain mobility, or even treating minor wounds and injuries if necessary.
3. Emotional Support
Services for recipients of Arizona palliative home care don’t stop at the physical! For many patients, the biggest struggle in living with health issues is the intense distress it can cause, especially as conditions worsen or symptoms increase. Having a compassionate care team that knows the patient well and is familiar with their health concerns can help to greatly alleviate that distress.
When a palliative care patient is treated with dignity, kindness, and respect by caregivers who foster trust and provide companionship, they feel seen and supported. This can meet and mitigate the intense loneliness and isolation that people in declining health or with long-term medical needs can experience.
4. Coordination with Healthcare Providers
Many individuals with conditions that require palliative care usually have a wider team of professionals working to meet their needs of all levels. These could include nurses, doctors, therapists, social workers, or even spiritual or religious providers. Palliative caregivers often help patients work with these professionals, facilitating communication between patient and the team to coordinate care, reduce the risk of errors and misunderstandings, and to provide an additional layer of support for the care recipient.
5. Assistance with Daily Activities
An essential role of professionals who work to provide Arizona palliative home care is to complete or participate in everyday activities that are often difficult for patients to perform unassisted. In the field of home health care, these activities are often referred to as activities of daily living, or ADLs. Common ways caregivers assist patients with ADLs include helping the patient move, eat, dress, use the restroom, or address their personal hygiene. Some patients also require help with IADLs, or instrumental activities of daily living, which include preparing meals, transportation, paying bills, completing errands, managing medications, or facilitating communication (such as over the phone or computer).
Nurturing, Compassionate Arizona Palliative Home Care
For compassionate, patient-focused Arizona palliative home care provided by kind, capable caregivers, consider the dedicated care professionals at Brightwood Health! We believe in a data-driven, patient-centered care approach that always puts the client and their emotional and physical well-being first.
To facilitate this, we carefully consider the profile of each of our clients to develop an individualized treatment program tailored to your unique needs. Brightwood Health’s team of care professionals provide services that include live-in care, personal care, homemaking services, specialized support for different illnesses, companionship, and more, with transparent and flexible pricing plans.
Contact us today or call us at (480)-718-7180 to learn more about how Brightwood Health is prepared to meet the unique needs of yourself or your loved one.