Palliative care is to increase the quality of life of individuals with serious and/or progressive medical conditions in order to ensure that they can carry out their daily activities while meeting their health, physical, psychosocial and emotional needs after their diagnosis. Simultaneously, emotional and psychosocial support is provided to the relatives of the guests receiving treatment, who are affected by this process just as much as the guests themselves.
Palliative care includes the following:
- Controlling and relieving pain and other symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, insomnia, and depression;
- Eliminating unwanted side effects in patients;
- Providing nutritional support;
- Facilitating breathing;
- Meeting the psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patients and their families;
- Educating patients and their families; and
- Caring for the patient in their final stage.
This process involves a wide range of treatment, follow-up and care services provided by trained professional nurses under the supervision of internists and neurologists, including, saturation, aspiration, nutrition and self-care of guests who are given nutrition via tracheostomy or NG or PEG systems.
Unless provided by trained professionals under supervision of doctors, palliative care, which is a very serious and sensitive process, may pose serious risks that may result in stopping of life functions of the patient under care.
