With advances in medical technology, pediatric palliative care is more accessible than ever. If your child has a life-limiting illness, knowing how to provide the best possible care can be overwhelming. The more you know about this specialty, the better prepared you will be. This guide will give a basic overview of pediatric palliative care and what you should know before bringing your child to a doctor for help.
Palliative care is a medical specialty that focuses on alleviating patients’ physical and emotional suffering with life-limiting illnesses. This includes managing pain, controlling symptoms, and relieving other symptoms, such as anxiety or depression.
The benefits of Ryan House palliative care are many. The main goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for patients and their families. This means that doctors will work to reduce the impact of a patient’s illness by offering:
Pain relief treatments (such as medication or acupuncture) that can help with physical complications like nausea, vomiting and sleeplessness. If your child has a terminal illness, they may need to take medications every day for the rest of their life. These medications may also be used in addition to other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation therapy to ease pain caused by these treatments. In some cases, palliative care can help decrease these side effects (palliation). Depression treatment in cases where there are no physical complications but there is significant anxiety or depression related to the child’s illness (symptom palliation). Family support services that can help you deal with any emotional distress you might experience while caring for your sick child (emotional palliation). Support groups where you can meet others who have similar experiences and share tips on how to cope with your condition (social palliation). Hospice services that provide you with a place to go if your child is dying. Hospice services can help provide comfort during the last few days of your child’s life. Hospice services also offer bereavement support, resources and education for you and your family after your child’s death.
The benefits of palliative care are many. The main goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for patients and their families. This means that doctors will work to reduce the impact of a patient’s illness by offering:
Pain relief treatments (such as medication or acupuncture) that can help with physical complications like nausea, vomiting and sleeplessness. If your child has a terminal illness, they may need to take medications every day for the rest of their life. These medications may also be used in addition to other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation therapy to ease pain caused by these treatments. In some cases, palliative care can help decrease these side effects (palliation). Depression treatment in cases where there are no physical complications but there is significant anxiety or depression related to the child’s illness. Family support services that can help you deal with any emotional distress you might experience while caring for your sick child.
