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Palliative Care vs. Hospice

November 26, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Souvenir d'octobre...!!!

Image by denis collette via Flickr

What is Palliative Care?

It focuses on the relief of pain and other symptoms of serious illness. This is to provide the patient with the best quality of life and ease the suffering.

Palliative Care vs. Hospice

Hospice covers palliative care. However, it is focused on the terminally ill who no longer are seeking treatment.

Treatment and Overview

  • Can be given at any time during a life-threatening or serious illness.
  • Not dependent on a patient’s prognosis.
  • It can be provided along with the disease treatment.
  • It is customized to meet each individual’s needs

Symptom Relief

  • pain
  • shortness of breath
  • fatigue
  • nausea
  • loss of appetite
  • sleep difficulty

Given by a Team

With the collaborative effort of doctors, nurses and social workers, a program is designed to fit the patient’s needs as well as address concerns of the family in the form of help, emotional and spiritual support.

**ATTN: San Diego Residents, A special Palliative Care Program is available through Sharp Hospice Care. It is called “Transitions: Advanced Illness Management”. For all others, check with your local healthcare
 organization for similar programs.

Transitions includes:

  • Pain management and other problematic symptoms treatment
  • Healthcare plan
  • Care Options and Consequences
  • Spiritual and Emotional Support
  • Primary Care Physician, Specially Trained RNs, Medical Social Worker
  • Complementary care: Healing Touch, Aromatherapy and Music Therapy.

Qualifications

Payment

A senior HMO such as Secure Horizons, may cover this treatment. Traditional Medicare and fee-for-service plans will NOT pay for Transitions. Call 619-667-1900 for more information.

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Preventing Dementia

November 24, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The Face of Alzheimers

Image by basykes via Flickr

Lately it seems that more and more supposed “prevention cures” are being discovered to help stem the onset of dementia. I look at these with a cautious optimism, mostly because my mom did in fact do alot of what is suggested. She ate fish almost everyday, she drank coffee, took vitamins, yet it still did not stop her from developing Alzheimers. Nevertheless, it is always good to remain hopeful that one day we will find a cure to this devastating disease.

CNN just published an article on 5 ways to keep Alzheimer’s Away

  1. Antioxidants: Vitamins A, C, E to prevent cell damage.
    Two studies conducted by researchers in Rotterdam, Netherlands and Chicago, Illinois tracked the progress of subjects who took supplements as well as food containing the beneficial vitamins. After a few years of follow-up they were able to determine that those who consumed larger quantities of these vitamins were at less risk than others of developing the disease.
    Examples of foods containing Vitamin C are: Citrus fruits, Kiwi, Sprouts, broccoli, and cabbage.

    While Vitamin E enriched foods are: Grains, Nuts, Milk, and Egg Yolk.

  2. Fish Oil Supplements: Anti-inflammatory properties due to omega-3 Fatty Acid which also cuts down on harmful brain plaques that mark the disease.
  3. Curry: A recent study done in Singapore suggested that those who ate foods with curry had better memory scores. Curry’s chemical called bisdemethoxycurcumin helped rid the blood of a key ingredient linked to the build up of plaque.
  4. Brain Cross-Training: Doing various complex tasks strengthens the memory: such as adding numbers in your head and doing crossword puzzles.
  5. Phosphatidylserine supplements: These are lipids naturally found in the body. They apparently help improve cognitive abilities. There is much debate about this still and it seems to only affect those with the least severe symptoms. Since it is a supplement, the FDA does not required to prove its risks or benefits. Therefore, it is best to seek the advice of a physician before taking this supplement.
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The Last Lecture

November 23, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Randy Pausch

Image via Wikipedi

A few months ago, my husband and I were watching a news special featuring a Computer Science Instructor at the University of Virginia who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Let’s just say that by the end of the story, I was sobbing. My husband and I decided to purchase the book to read more about this remarkable man. There are many uplifting stories about people who have overcome tragedy and despair. What makes this one especially interesting is how full of life this man really was staring at the darkness of death.

(Another inspirational source of information you should look at is Tony Robbin’s The Power of Crisis)

If you hadn’t heard the hoopla over this New York Times bestseller and the lecture that inspired it, here’s a little background info:

Randy Pausch October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008)

He was an assistant and associate professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Virginia. He was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in 2006. After an unsuccessful treatment failed to halt the disease’s progress, he was only given 3-6 months to live.

The Lecture that Inspired the Book

“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” was the name of this lecture that inspired so many. This talk followed the series of lectures given by academics about what lessons they wanted to leave behind or what wisdom they would share with others, if it were their last chance. Instead of focusing on his own impending death, he chose instead to encourage others to celebrate life and live out their dreams, overcome obstacles and to help others achieve their dreams.

It was through the power of the internet that enabled so many to see his positive message on life. He was captivating on film and the book was a good follow-up to the lecture. In it, he shares more of his stories and life lessons about rejection, failure, and crisis as well as hope. Though not much would be considered “new” to anyone reading it, it definitely makes you think about your own life and how you can improve your outlook to make life more fulfilling.

Considering that we as caregivers are facing an ongoing crisis, this is a good read.

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