‘Hospice care is palliative care, but not all palliative care is hospice.’
Hospice is one program under the umbrella of palliative care. It is designed to provide palliative care and emotional support to the terminally ill in a home or homelike setting so that quality of life is maintained and family members may be active participants in care.
Hospice care does not necessarily mean the end of a life. Patients can transition out of a hospice facility and be cared for at their home or re-engage in treatment.
Palliative care is quality-of-life care for people with serious and chronic illness. Palliative care can be given when the illness is diagnosed, throughout treatment, during follow-up, and at the end of life. While receiving palliative care, people can remain under the care of their regular doctor and continue receiving treatment for their disease.
‘The goal of hospice is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families by addressing their physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs.’
Hospice care improves the lives of people who have a life- limiting or terminal illness. not only takes care of people’s physical needs, but looks after their emotional, spiritual and social needs as well. Hospice care also supports carers, family members and close friends, both during a person’s illness and during bereavement.
Hospice care provides;
- psychological and social support for the patient and the family
- pain & symptom control
- Help for family members and loved ones who want to stay close to the dying patient
- Care in the home, in a hospital, residential hospice facility, or long-term facility with 24-nursing care
Source:
Hospice UK – https://www.hospiceuk.org/about-hospice-care/what-is-hospice-care
End Game Guide – http://endgame-documentary.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/EG_Clinician_web.pdf
Pet hospice care adopts the idea from modern human hospice care. Since the 1990s, the hospice model has been applied to also care for our pets and thus hospice and palliative care for animals is growing across the US and the world. It is the palliative care for pet that is suffering from a terminal illness and a cure is not possible. It is to make a pet’s final days or weeks more pleasant with the proper use of pain medications, dietary strategies and human interaction. Pet hospice recognizes dying as a normal process. It is a philosophy based on the principle that death is a part of life and can be dignified. When considering hospice care, pet parents should very careful not to prolong the suffering of pets who are in pain or experiencing poor quality of life.
Hospice Care for animals has been described as “management of palliative care patients who have progressed such that death will likely occur within a period of days to weeks”; however, the distinction between hospice and palliative care for animals has not yet been sharply defined.
Diseases and conditions that may consider hospice or palliative care for animals are:
- Cancer
- Organ failure [kidneys, liver, and heart are common examples]
- Osteoarthritis
- Cognitive dysfunction, or dementia
- Senior pets approaching the end of life
Source:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/end-life-care
https://iaahpc.org
