Modern medical treatment for dying patients is quite similar with hospice care regarding counseling and preparedness and care but different in terms of administration of the treatment. Modern medical treatment for dying patients mostly involves nursing care in the intensive care unit. Treatment for dying patients includes the mitigation of the symptoms to a mild level while preparing the patient and their family members. Hospice or palliative care, on the other hand, is the process of end-of-life care, which involves health care professionals and volunteers to offer psychological and emotional support to dying patients who are terminally ill and have a limited amount of time to live. Normally of about 6 months. Hospice care has the objective of providing peace and comfort to the family and the patient. There are slight differences in objectives between the medical treatment of dying patients and hospice care. Cancer deaths are a good example of differentiating hospice and medical care for the patients.
Medical treatment for dying patients mainly helps in eliminating uncontrolled symptoms in dying, patients. Medical professionals diagnose symptoms in the patients and offer clinical alternatives to help the patient (Bradley, 2011). A good example is cancer cases, which are discovered at a later stage. Some patients are put under acute hospital care in an attempt to minimize the symptoms, which in most cases turn problematic. Mitigation turns problematic because of the complexity of symptoms, which are hard to reverse. Patients who die in the hospital receive little palliative care than those in a hospice unit. Good palliative or hospice care is linked to the patient having the quality of dying.
Hospice care on the other hand especially for cancer patients, helps them have less strain when dying. The most important goal of this form of death is achieving a good form of death. Instead of focusing on mitigating symptoms, the care focuses on various ways of eliminating fear and concerns on the patients and family in the sight of death (Emanuel, 2005). Many cancer patients, especially in Canada, have access to palliative care, which has helped in achieving the general quality of death. The program helps in changing the believe that end of life involves suffering. The patients in palliative care are normally not in hospitals but in the hospice centers (Emanuel, 2005). Many cancer patients have less than 6 months to live. Therefore, a number of them are included in the palliative care. The patients spend more time with the caregivers and family members. The patients do not use life support and are mostly engaged in preparing for funerals.
The preferences of the patient and health care providers differ on the issues based on different beliefs and levels of suffering. It’s important for the patient to be prepared in the face of death to achieve inner peace. Preparation of death, whether in medical treatment or hospice care is important in reducing distress for the patient and grief for the family. Use of a questionnaire assesses Death experience in most cases.
- Emanuel, L. (2005). Palliative care, (1st ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders.