What is Palliative Care?
When a patient has an advanced or chronic illness they may have symptoms or pain that their current treatment is not addressing. The focus of palliative care is to complement the patient’s current treatment in order to alleviate these symptoms and pain to enhance their quality of life. Not only does palliative care provide symptom management for those with a complex illness, but it also provides emotional and psycho-social support for their families and caregivers.
Palliative care is comprehensive care for patients of all ages, including children, who are living with chronic conditions. Palliative care is personalized and provided wherever the patient is, whether that is a private residence, facility or hospital.
Beyond providing comfort care and addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families, our palliative care team can help families plan for the future to relieve stress and uncertainty. Care can encompass discussions about future care wishes and desires, including discussing advance directives.
Common Questions
AccentCare offers levels of care for every stage of the hospice journey. The patient’s clinical status and specific needs determine which level of care they qualify for, and the Hospice Team and patient’s attending physician help determine which level the patient should receive and where they will receive it. Patients may transition through different levels of care depending on their medical needs and where they are on their journey.
To be eligible for palliative care under Medicare guidelines, a patient could have a life expectancy that is greater than 6 months. If life expectancy is less than six months, then hospice care should be considered. A patient may be receiving curative treatment or therapies while they receive palliative care, and desire palliative care to address pain or unmanaged symptoms.
Often a patient’s primary care physician will recommend Palliative Care for them, and one of our physicians will review to confirm it is appropriate.
Palliative Care consultations are provided by physicians and nurse practitioners who are specialists in pain and symptom management. AccentCare Palliative Care services are provided by licensed professionals who participate in over 200 mandatory learning modules and continued education courses in order to deliver care. All of whom are trained and background-checked for your security and peace of mind.
Payment options may include private pay, private insurance, workers’ compensation, school districts, federal insurers, long-term care policies, trust funds or Medicaid (known as “Medi-Cal” in California). If you have additional questions about paying for personal care services, AccentCare’s Concierge Service can help. Call us at (800) 834-3059.
Featured Services
We are dedicated to providing the right care at the right time. Our featured services are designed to improve quality of life as part of our hospice and palliative care plan.
