Senior Care Blog

What is the Difference Between Palliative Care and Home Health Care?

There are some big differences between palliative care and other care options, like home health care.
Palliative Care in Dallas TX

With all of the different care options available, it can sometimes get confusing and you might wonder what might help your senior family member the most. It truly depends on what your senior’s needs are and what type of situation she’s facing. Understanding when palliative care is truly the best option can mean looking more closely at what is going on with your elderly family member’s health situation.

Palliative Care and Home Health Similarities

Home health and palliative care both seem very similar on the surface. They’re designed to offer relief from illness in a variety of different ways. Home Health offers skilled nursing services and other types of care that help someone to heal more easily from an injury or illness. Palliative therapies are also there to help someone deal with health issues that are becoming worse. Both types of care also reduce the emotional impact of being unwell.

Big Differences Between Palliative Care and Home Health

Palliative care is available to your family member as soon as she’s diagnosed with a progressive illness that is not expected to be curable. The types of palliative treatments available to her are ones that she can have access to alongside other forms of curative treatments. Home health care is reserved for specific situations only, such as when your family member is recovering from surgery or another acute health situation. There are other restrictions, as well, such as the person receiving help from home health services is typically homebound and is expected to recover within a short period.

Home Health Services are Temporary

Ultimately, home health services are a much more temporary option. Palliative care is something that your family member can access soon after her diagnosis of illnesses like COPD, heart disease, and more. If she decides she wants to wait until her life and health are more impacted by her illness, she can access palliative treatments at any stage. Palliative care offers a variety of different types of therapies that provide relief for as long as they’re useful for your family member.

Your Senior Might Need Both Types of Care at Some Point

At some stage, your elderly family member may need both types of care. Illnesses like COPD can lead to time in the hospital due to pneumonia and other lung infections. Palliative care treatments can help your senior to learn more about how COPD impacts her health and teach her breathing exercises that reduce both shortness of breath and anxiety. Palliative support can also work with your senior to reduce depression related to her illness. When she leaves the hospital, home health care can assist your senior with the medical aspects of her recovery, like physical therapy and managing medications.

Palliative care is a powerful option for your family member when she’s dealing with a chronic, progressive health condition. Having this type of support continually allows her to have what she needs to maintain independence and the best possible quality of life.

If you or an aging loved one are considering Palliative Care in Dallas, TX, please contact the caring staff at Arcy Healthcare today at (469) 293-1515

Providing In-Home Healthcare Services in North Texas, including Dallas, Hurst, Grapevine, Keller, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Denton, Flower Mound, Carrollton, Gainesville, and more.

Jimmie Stapleton
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