Lecture 8.3 - Palliative Care Flashcards
What is palliative care?
Focused on prevention and relief of suffering of a person with diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, and their families
–> Should be integrated at time of diagnosis
How does pediatric palliative care differ from adult palliative care?
Prognosis, life expectancy, and functional outcome is often unclear
Greater use of intensive disease-modifying or life-sustaining treatments
Focus on growth and development at the same time as death
Greater burden on families
Information, recreational, and educational needs change depending on the child’s age and as they grow
Greater number of congenital anomalies of uncertain type or rare genetic conditions
What are the main components of pediatric palliative care?
Pain and symptoms management
Maximizing QoL
End of life care
What is the goal of end of life care?
Is to preserve dignity and provide the person with the best death possible
How can we maximize quality of life?
Legacy Creation
Memory Making
Recreational Therapy
What is grief?
Feelings and emotions associated with actual or perceived loss
What is bereavement?
The journey a person goes through after suffering a loss
What is the major goal in working with a family of a child with a complex or chronic illness?
Support the family’s effective coping to overcome crisis, involve shared decision making and normalization of new challenges, patient teaching.
Promote appropriate development.