What is palliative care?
Palliative care is a specialised medical care given to improve the quality of life of patients and their families who are living with a serious illness such as stroke, cancer, dementia, chronic kidney disease
Who needs palliative care?
Anyone with a serious illness or medical condition with a high risk of death or one that negatively affects a person’s quality of life or ability to perform daily tasks. Example: dementia, cancer, heart failure, chronic kidney disease.
Who provides palliative care?
A palliative care team may include specialist doctors and nurses, social workers, religious or spiritual leaders, psycholo-gists, physiotherapists, nutritionists, among other profession-als. Your team may vary depending on your needs and level of care
Do I still have to see my primary doctor?
Palliative care can be provided alongside your current treatment and care. Your palliative care team works with your current doctor and others to provide specific treatments and care plans. Palliative care is meant to enhance your current care by focusing on quality of life for you and your family.
When do I start palliative care?
Palliative care should be started as soon as the diagnosis of a serious illness is made, not when everything has been tried and has failed. You don’t need to wait until your disease is in the advanced stages or you’re in the final months of life to start palliative care. This will improve your quality of life.
Does palliative care mean I am dying or giving up?
Certainly not. Palliative care is meant to relieve symptoms such as pain, breathing difficulties, or nausea, among others, and relieve stress for patients and their families. This is the opposite of giving up.
What are some of the benefits from palliative care?
Relief from your symptoms and distress
Helps you better understand your disease and diagnosis
Helps clarify your treatment goals and options
Understand and support your ability to cope with your illness
Assist you with making medical decision
Coordinate with your other doctors
Overall improve your quality of life.
Is it only the patient who benefits from palliative care?
Palliative care is for both the patient and their families. It helps most families cope with the diagnosis of their loved one and gain information on how to care for that loved one.
What happens after my loved one dies?
The Palliative Care team will offer bereavement support and grief counselling to the bereaved as well as any help the team can give in support.
Why is Nyaho offering this service?
As a leading private health facility, Nyaho Medical Centre is committed to providing Specialist care to our patients. Palliative care has been introduced to improve the quality of life of our patients who need the service.
Who at Nyaho would I be seeing?
In Nyaho, any patient needing palliative care would be seen by the palliative care team led by a specialist family physician.
Is it a walk-in service or do I need an appointment to access this service?
Patients are seen by appointment only. The appointment can be made by the patient of their family member or by a doctor s referral. Call Call 0509184482to book your appointments.
When can one be seen by the palliative care team at Nyaho?
Palliative Care is on Fridays, from 8am- 2pm.
Is it only on OPD basis?
NO, apart from being seen through the Outpatients Department, patients can be seen on admission, on our virtual platform and also in the comfort of one’s home (domiciliary).
Let’s help you manage the burden so you live your best life.
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