what is palliative care at home

Palliative care at home is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness, such as cancer or heart failure, that focuses on enhancing a persons current care by focusing on quality of life for them and their family. It can be provided at any stage of illness and is best provided soon after a person is diagnosed. Palliative care at home can include treatment of a patients serious illness, such as cancer, heart failure, lung disease, or kidney failure, and can help patients understand their disease and treatment options. The goal of palliative care at home is to treat a patients pain and other symptoms, help them cope with the everyday challenges of living with a serious illness, and empower them to feel more confident so they can better plan for the future. Palliative care at home can be provided in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient palliative care clinics, certain other specialized clinics, or at home. The palliative care team works with a patient and their family to identify the patients health care wishes and then works to ensure the patients care plan aligns with these goals. The team also remains in close communication with a patients existing health care providers and works with them to ensure goals are met. Palliative care at home can be delivered through in-person visits or telehealth options. Medicare, Medicaid, and insurance policies may cover palliative care, and veterans may be eligible for palliative care.