Palliative Care

Cat K

The geriatrician my DH sees has ordered palliative care and we've seen first a registered nurse and then a nurse practitioner. I wondered if anyone has experience with pallilative care and if it's helped. What are the benefits of palliative care. I was told they would be able to transition him to hospice if/when the time came.

Ragfoot

My wife was referred to an Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic. The appointment consisted of Myself, DW, a medical doctor, a registered nurse and a licensed care social worker. It was primarily a question/answer period which lasted more than an hour. I was provided with some available resources they thought might help. I mentioned I had tried to get my wife enrolled in an Adult Care Health Center, but found she was ineligible due to dual incontinence. They also told me to "call if you think you need Hospice".
I hadn't been back home for more than a couple of hours when I received a call from the Palliative Care Social Worker stating she found an ADHC which would accept my wife, even with incontinence. That was probably the best message I had received in many years.
FYI, my DW attended about 5 hours a day, twice a week, for more than 6 months. It was WONDERFUL respite. Unfortunately, now that she can no longer stand independently, she can no longer stay at that ADHC, since they are not set up to transfer her (they say they must move the person every two hours at least from chair to chair AND they are not set up to change underwear while sitting in a chair.)
FWIW, there ARE other ADHC facilities which ARE set up for those accommodations.

TL;DR Palliative Care turned out to be a very good experience for me and my DW.

Sandi Roe

I’m a true believer in Palliative Care. Why wouldn’t we take any help we can get🤷‍♀️Just having someone check on us , caregiver and patient alike made a difference for me. Yes, they help with transition to Hospice when it’s the right time. I’m thumbs up !

Cat K

The palliative care nurse came to the house today to check on us. DH dozed much of the time. I was on the fence about palliative care at first but I can see the benefit of having it, having a medical professional keep track of his decline and be available if I need them. He sees the geriatrician soon and I want to ask about what stage he's in. I'm thankful for the support offered here.