What Is Palliative Care?
You may have heard of a new medical term—palliative care (pronounced PAH-LEE-UH-TIVE). For the last thirty years, palliative care has been provided by hospice programs for dying Americans. Currently these programs serve more than 1 million patients and their families each year.
Now this very same approach to care is being used by other health care providers, including teams in hospitals, nursing facilities and home health agencies in combination with other medical treatments to help people who are seriously ill.
To palliate means to make comfortable by treating a person's symptoms from an illness. Hospice and palliative care both focus on helping a person be comfortable by addressing issues causing physical or emotional pain, or suffering. Hospice and other palliative care providers have teams of people working together to provide care. The goals of palliative care are to improve the quality of a seriously ill person's life and to support that person and their family during and after treatment.
Hospice focuses on relieving symptoms and supporting patients with a life expectancy of months not years, and their families. However, palliative care may be given at any time during a patient's illness, from diagnosis on. Most hospices have a set of defined services, team members and rules and regulations. Some hospices provide palliative care as a separate program or service, which can be very confusing to patients and families. The list of questions below provides answers to common questions about the difference between hospice and palliative care.
| Question | Palliative Care | Hospice Care |
|---|---|---|
| Who can receive this care? | Anyone with a serious illness, regardless of life expectancy, can receive palliative care | Someone with an illness with a life expectancy measured in months, not years. |
| Can I continue to receive treatments to cure my illness? | You may receive palliative care and curative care at the same time | Treatments and medicines aimed at relieving symptoms are provided by hospice |
| Does Medicare pay? | Some treatments and medications may be covered | Medicare pays all charges related to hospice |
| Does Medicaid pay? | Some treatments and medications may be covered | In 47 states, Medicaid pays all charges related to hospice. |
| Does private insurance pay? | No, there is no 'palliative care' package, the services are flexible and based on the patient's needs | Most insurance plans have a hospice benefit |
| Is this a package deal? | No, there is no 'palliative care' package, the services are flexible and based on the patient's needs | Medicare and Medicaid hospice benefits are package deals |
| How long can I receive care? | This will depend upon your care needs, and the coverage you have through Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance | As long as you meet the hospice's criteria of an illness with a life expectancy of months not years |
| What organization provides these services? |
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| Where are services provided? |
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| Who provides these services? | It varies. However usually there is a team including doctors, nurses, social workers and chaplains, similar to the hospice team. | A team—doctor, nurse, social worker, chaplain, volunteer, home health aide and others |
| Do they offer expert end-of-life care? | This varies, be sure to ask | Yes, staff experts in end-of-life care |
WebMD Medical Reference from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Important Safety Information
Vimpat (lacosamide) is a medicine that is used with other medicines to treat partial onset seizures in patients 17 years of age and older with epilepsy. Vimpat is generally well-tolerated, but may not be for everyone. Ask your doctor if Vimpat is right for you. Antiepileptic drugs, including Vimpat, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have new or worsening symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self harm that you have never had before or may be worse than before. Please see additional patient information in the Medication Guide at the end of the full prescribing information. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your condition or your treatment. Please see additional Patient Safety Information
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