Realizing palliative care’s value
Dan Hegeman
For individuals facing serious or terminal illnesses, the physical and emotional effects of illness can easily become overwhelming.
Thankfully, the use of a more specialized and comprehensive method of care, known as palliative care, has been growing exponentially over the past decade.
Although palliative care has been around for some time now, there continues to be a general lack of information and awareness as to what it is, when it should be utilized and the associated costs.
In its simplest terms, palliative care is a form of treatment that encourages communication and collaboration among doctors, specialists, nurses, chaplains, social workers and others to achieve the best quality of life for the patient.
Because palliative care is an important component of hospice care, there is a common misconception that they are one and the same.
Hospice care is specifically used to provide comfort during the last months of a person’s life, while palliative care can be given at any point during a serious illness and is often used in addition to curative treatment.
In an effort to more thoroughly highlight the importance of palliative care and bring greater resources to our citizens, I filed Senate Bill 496 and carried House Bill 808 during the 2015 session to establish the Missouri Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Advisory Council and the Palliative Care Consumer and Professional Information Education Program.
These measures sought to evaluate and promote palliative care initiatives in the state; provide legislators with the resources to make policy decisions; and inform the public of palliative care resources.
While we ran out of time to complete the work on these bills during the 2015 session, I will be refiling similar legislation in 2016.
Palliative care can offer our loved ones a more effective way to moderate their physical pain and ease their fear and anxiety — they don’t need to suffer needlessly or feel alone in their fight.
The Center to Advance Palliative Care’s 2015 state-by-state report card on access to palliative care in our nation’s hospitals awarded Missouri a ‘B’ grade, meaning there’s plenty of room for improvement.
By establishing an advisory council and education program, it is my hope that Missourians facing serious or terminal illnesses will have greater access to information regarding their care and working with medical providers to improve outcomes and quality of life.
