Palliation, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the word, is a term that simply means “the process of easing pain”. It’s any form of alleviating, mitigating or providing relief without actually curing the problem at hand. In layman’s terms, this is what is done when someone is put under hospice care.
Not many people enjoy talking about hospice care in the same way that they avoid setting up funeral arrangements for themselves. It seems like an entirely sad ordeal and could take a whole lot of energy out of you. While this may be true for a lot of people, it simply shouldn’t be the case. Palliation is a necessity in society and to ensure that it is dealt with properly, it is something that needs to be talked about because sometimes, it doesn’t need to be as sad as you think it would be.
The medical aspect of palliation
Usually, someone is put under hospice care when thought to have only six months to live or less. Patients who undergo this type of care often suffer from the final stages of illnesses such as heart failure or cancer. So before anything else, it helps you deal with the day to day struggles of living out your last days with a serious medical problem as comfortably as possible.
The spiritual and emotional aspect
This type of care really focuses on living out your last days as meaningful as possible. For instance, institutions providing hospice care in NJ (New Jersey) provide counseling for both the patient and his or her family. These sort of programs make the patient feel they have at least a bit of control back in their lives.
No matter what your opinion is on palliation, it’s undeniable that it provides a little bit of good in the world for those whose lives are about to reach the end.
Hopefully, helping them leave the world peacefully in the process.
