The Benefits of Palliative Care
The Benefits of Palliative CareDrummers tend to be great problem solvers. That’s definitely true for Tom Caruso. Living with cancer for 12years, he’s had more than his share of ‘problems to solve.’“The pain that increases in the back is overwhelming in the beginning. It was just overwhelming, sooverwhelming that I had to just lay down on the couch quick. It was just horrific.”Tom was not even 50 when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Prostate Cancer. After undergoingtreatment, he went into remission. But then, his cancer returned, spreading to his bones and Lymph Nodes. Acure was no longer possible. Now, he’s on Hormone Therapy to help manage the disease.“The best way to describe 12 years of cancer is: just when you think that you’ve got it down, somethingelse changes, and something else becomes the new norm. And you adjust to that, and something elsebecomes the new norm.”“Come on.” “No way.”To help them “adjust,” Tom and his wife Barbara found Palliative Care: specialized treatment for people livingwith serious illness. The purpose is to provide relief from the pain, symptoms, and stress of dealing with asevere condition. And to improve quality of life for the patient and his or her family.“What’s unique about Palliative Care is its deliberate focus on whole the person - everything that isimportant to that person. So, their physical wellbeing, their physical comfort, their emotional andpsychological condition, their spiritual state.”“She might need a couple more doses while she’s here.”Tom’s Palliative Care is provided by specialists - they’re a separate team that works alongside the one focusedon his cancer.“For a person living with a serious illness, we want our doctor, our specialist, to focus on our disease.The Palliative Care Team’s job is to help patients and families accomplish the things that are mostimportant to them, while they are receiving treatment.”The core Palliative Care Team is typically a doctor, a nurse or nurse practitioner, a social worker, and achaplain. If needed, other specialists may be involved such as a nutritionist or pharmacist.“The best way to think about Palliative Care is as an added layer of support. And what that added layerof support looks like depends on the needs of the individual patient and their family.”“How many milligrams are you taking?”A big misconception about Palliative Care is that it’s the same as “Hospice," or End-of-Life Care. It is not.Both Hospice and Palliative Care provide relief from the symptoms associated with a serious illness. But here’sthe difference: Hospice care begins after treatment of the disease has stopped and is offered only when apatient is expected to live six months or less. Palliative Care is provided along with treatment. It’s available toanyone with a serious illness, regardless of prognosis - whether the condition is curable, life-threatening, orchronic – meaning something you may live with for a very long time.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG54647A EN TheBenefitsOfPalliativeCare.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 2The Benefits of Palliative Care“Palliative care accompanies patients through every stage of an illness - from the beginning of theillness through the treatment of the illness, and if, God forbid, the illness progresses, your palliative careteam is there with you to help you get the most out of that time, and have the best possible quality oflife during that time.”“C’mon sugar.”Both Tom and Barbara say their quality of life has improved greatly since tom started Palliative Care. And thisis the proof. After losing the energy and desire to jam, he’s back at it. Something Tom says would never havehappened without Palliative Care.“I had to stop playing, because the pain was too, too excruciating. It’s taken months, but the palliativecare team, is a big, big relief in my life.”This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG54647A EN TheBenefitsOfPalliativeCare.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 2
© The Wellness Network
