Our Palliative Care Team, Oncology Nurse makes sure the patient is always comfortable, happy, and attended to, whenever needed.
What is Palliative Care?
Integrating Holistic Care Alongside With Curative Treatment
Palliative Care encompasses a comprehensive approach focused on enhancing the quality of life for patients grappling with the myriad challenges brought on by life-threatening illnesses like cancer throughout their treatment trajectory.
This approach emphasizes the quality of life of cancer patients by helping them live as comfortably as possible with the illness. Our Palliative Care Team focuses on identifying these needs as early as possible by managing the physical pain together with any related social, psychological, and spiritual issues faced by patients.
How is Palliative Care administered to cancer patients?
For Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital Patients
Our clinical team is well-trained to integrate palliative care, ensuring our patients receive comprehensive support that encompasses pain management, symptom relief, pastoral care, and any other individual needs they may have throughout their cancer treatment journey.
For Cancer Patients from Other Medical Institutions
Patients make an appointment for a second opinion from our Oncologist, after which we will devise a treatment plan that integrates Palliative Care into the approach.
Additional information about Palliative Care:
At what stage should Palliative Care be initiated?
Palliative Care can be initiated at any juncture throughout a patient’s cancer journey, spanning from diagnosis to end-of-life care.
In Mount Miriam Cancer Hospital, Palliative Care is initiated upon diagnosis of the disease and integrated alongside curative treatments.
Traditionally, physicians typically initiate Palliative Care only in the latter stages of a patient’s life. However, it is most effective when implemented as needed throughout the treatment journey. Individuals undergoing cancer treatment alongside Palliative Care often experience milder symptoms, enjoy improved quality of life, and express greater satisfaction with their treatment.
What issues are addressed in Palliative Care?
The effects of cancer vary from person to person. It involves a holistic approach. The total pain faced by a patient is made up of physical, psychological, spiritual, and social.
Physical
Cancer patients may experience physical symptoms such as pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, and insomnia. Early identification of the issues and prompt intervention can help to relieve these issues to improve the quality of life of patients.
Psychological
Being diagnosed as a cancer patient may be a stressful journey. Depression, anxiety, and fear are the few common psychological issues faced by patients and family members. Emotional support is provided to help patients and family members go through this predicament with a positive and peaceful mind.
Spiritual
With a cancer diagnosis, patients and families often look more deeply for meaning in their lives. Fear of the unknown may bring patients closer to their faith or spiritual beliefs, whereas others might struggle to understand why cancer happened to them. Our Clinical Pastoral Care is equipped to help patients in this journey to find a sense of peace and reach a point of acceptance that is appropriate for their situation.
Social
Cancer also substantially changes patients’ daily lives. Consequently, patients often face problems in various aspects of social life, family life, relationships with people around them, work, income, and leisure activities. Patients might suffer from low self-esteem, and depression and eventually withdraw themselves from their social circle. We recognize the need for support in these areas to maintain a good quality of life for cancer patients.
Our Clinical Pastoral Carer providing emotional and social support to patient.
Family members can rest assured that their loved ones will receive comprehensive care through our holistic approach.