A woman offers empathetic palliative care, holding an elderly person's hand in a skilled nursing center in Bossier City

Empathetic Palliative Care

Is your loved one living with a serious illness? If this is the case for you, you know just how important symptom management and maintaining quality of life are. Watching a loved one get older and deal with conditions like Alzheimer’s can be overwhelming, fraught with medical appointments and complex treatments.

Thankfully, palliative care offers specialized support to families and patients during this difficult time. At Colonial Oaks Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation, we’re committed to offering empathetic palliative care services right here in Bossier City, LA.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is an all-encompassing approach to care that addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people facing serious health conditions. It’s provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists who work together to provide an extra layer of support for those who need it most. Palliative care programs are centered around a patient’s specific goals and tend to focus on symptom management while providing emotional support.

What does Palliative Care involve?

Every patient is different, so palliative care services might look a bit different for everyone. For most folks, it will include managing symptoms like pain, fatigue, breathlessness, and nausea. However, the psychological aspect is also a primary focus.

Palliative care teams might provide counseling to help families cope with the challenges of illness, and some might even facilitate communication with other healthcare providers. The advantage of palliative care lies in its flexibility—it can often be adapted to your loved one’s ever-changing needs.

A woman in a wheelchair embraces an older woman, highlighting Palliative Care in Bossier City, LA

How Palliative Care Differs From Hospice

You might hear palliative care associated with hospice from time to time. While these levels of care are similar, they are not the same thing. Hospice care is reserved for people with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less. It focuses entirely on comfort, and curative treatments are no longer sought. On the other hand, palliative care services:

  • Can be provided at any stage of a serious illness
  • Can be received alongside curative treatments
  • Relieve symptoms and stress to improve quality of life
  • Are not limited to end-of-life care

The Benefits of Palliative Care Services

Palliative care in a nursing home can lead to significant benefits for both patients and their families. Residence in a skilled nursing facility, even if only temporary, can bring these advantages:

  • Symptom Management and Pain Relief—Our team uses a variety of methods to control pain, reduce nausea, combat fatigue, and alleviate other physical discomforts. Oftentimes, this means a better quality of life for your loved one.
  • Improved Communication—Understanding complex medical information and making treatment decisions are easier said than done. Your palliative care team can help facilitate communication between you, your loved one, and their other healthcare providers.
  • Emotional and Spiritual Support—A serious illness also affects one’s emotional and psychological well-being. Palliative care teams can often connect you with social workers, counselors, and chaplains to help you and your loved one cope with stress and anxiety.
  • Support for the Entire Family—Our team is here for families, too. We work with family caregivers to manage daily challenges and cope with their own emotional responses.

Why choose our Palliative Care program?

At Colonial Oaks Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation, our team is all about providing the comforts of home here at our Bossier City skilled nursing facility. We’re dedicated to keeping our patients as comfortable as possible as they deal with a serious illness.

Beyond palliative care, we also offer a range of other services, like outpatient therapy, that your loved one can take advantage of as their needs change. We’re here for you at all stages of illness. Contact us today to learn more about our services and programs.

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