Tulare County Palliative Care
When faced with a serious illness or life-altering health issue, in-home
palliative care is often the best option for most patients. Kaweah Delta
Home Health offers compassionate palliative care to effectively manage
pain and increase patient comfort while their doctors continue to seek
a cure. Our palliative care services help not just the patient, but their
families as well. We offer family members ongoing emotional support while
helping them find other community resources and educational tools.
While some associate palliative care with hospice care, the two are different
in many ways. Palliative care is available to patients during a serious
illness, regardless of their prognosis. Palliative care can also be delivered
while the patient is still receiving treatment to cure their illness or
go into remission. Finally, there is no set timetable for palliative care;
it can be long-term or short-term. When it’s determined a patient
needs hospice care, Kaweah Delta Home Health can transition them into
our hospice program when ready.
Who is a candidate for in-home palliative care?
Palliative care is available to anyone suffering from a potentially life-threatening
disease or chronic illness, but still seeking a cure. This service is
designed to effectively manage pain and discomfort, while giving patients
the option of returning to the hospital for further treatment. Patients
who most often seek palliative care suffer from such diseases as cancer,
congestive heart failure, HIV/AIDS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
multiple sclerosis, kidney disease, and other chronic diseases.
Palliative Care Services:
- Management of pain and other symptoms including fatigue, difficulty sleeping,
shortness of breath, loss of appetite, nausea, or constipation.
- Working with patients and their families to discuss care options and long-term goals.
- In-depth education on the specific disease, its symptoms, process and effective
medications.
- Coordinating care with the patient’s physician and other caregivers.
- Nurses on-call around the clock for consultations.
- Working with families to help them cope with the situation and discover
the most effective ways they can assist.
- Serving as an educational resource for families and connecting them to
local agencies and organizations that can help.
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Providing a seamless transition to
Kaweah Delta Hospice when necessary.