by Dr. Lawrence Boggeln

Palliative care focuses on easing symptoms, is patient- centered, and is life-affirming for anyone living with progressive, chronic, or life-threatening illness. Whether a person is young, elderly, seeking curative care, or at the end of their life, palliative care is appropriate for them.

Palliative care combines medical and psychosocial therapies to relieve suffering caused by pain or symptoms out-of-control. The goal of palliative care is to provide comfort to improve the quality of life for patients and families. Palliative care can be very useful in alleviating distressing symptoms that can result from disease-modifying therapies, such as chemotherapy.

The kinds of symptoms that palliative care can help with are:

• uncontrolled pain
• nausea
• anxiety
• shortness of breath
• weakness
• fatigue
• delirium
• constipation

Palliative care can also empower patients and families to make informed decisions regarding advanced directive issues and set up goals of care. While palliative care addresses patients with life-threatening illnesses, anyone—regardless of life expectancy—can receive this type of care. The palliative care team is comprised of doctors, nurses, social workers and spiritual care providers. Their goal is to manage the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual pain and suffering that often accompanies serious illness.

Palliative care is a consult service, specializing in managing pain and symptoms. Patients will continue to see their primary care physician and specialty physicians. The palliative care team will generally see a patient 4- 6 times during the time the symptom is bothering the patient to minimize or alleviate the aggravating effects of the symptom.  Palliative care is different from hospice care. Hospice provides for patients who can no longer benefit from life-extending medical treatment. A physician must certify that the patient is in the last stages of their terminal illness. Hospice is based on the belief that every person has the right to die pain-free and with dignity, and with family and friends nearby. 

Hospice care exists to keep the pain and suffering of a person with a terminal diagnosis to a minimum and not to cure the illness. The hospice team is comprised of doctors, nurses, hospice aides, social workers, spiritual care providers, and volunteers. They work together to manage the patient’s pain and symptoms; assist with the emotional and spiritual aspects of dying; provide needed medications and supplies; coach the family on how to care for the patient; and provide bereavement counseling to surviving loved ones. 

Medicare, Medicaid, most private insurance plans, HMOs, and other managed care organizations may provide for the costs of hospice care. Medicare Part B generally covers 80% of palliative care costs. Some private insurance companies may cover some of the costs of palliative care, but it is important to ask how or if the services will be covered and what costs you may be asked to pay.

Hospice and palliative care share the same philosophy of maintaining and managing the patient’s quality of life. Both also provide much needed support and assistance to the family in coping with serious illness.  To learn more about Palliative Care, please call 951-200-7800.

Dr. Laurence Boggeln has been practicing medicine in the Temecula Valley for 23 years. He is Board-certified in Hospice and Palliative Care and is the Medical Director for Hospice of the Valleys.