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  • Debbie 

An Update to Palliative Care in the Pandemic

An Update to Palliative Care in the Pandemic

How palliative care can be a chronic journey experience with priceless blessings/benefits for anyone who requires support/quality of life and care while seeking their best health.

I have posted about palliative care benefits in the past, but not in the coronavirus pandemic. Palliative care addresses physical, mental, emotional, spiritual overall holistic healing support for all on a chronic journey. This means help for all spoonies. While I have been in a low spoon zone I have had a personal development on my chronic journey experience, as well. Because I have become a “senior,” my palliative care doctor is also my primary care doctor. This development saves me from having to add another doctor to my list and my palliative care doctor is very informed about my diagnosis/situation/health care issues. My prior primary care doctor retired from the area, leaving me without a doctor. I have been with palliative care since 2015. I now have 7 years of experience and documentation with the same Dr. & group of nurses/ support staff. This is a priceless blessing for all who are aware of the chronic journey. Continuity of care is a key component of having quality care. The more familiar a group of people are with each person and their journey the higher quality of life and care. It all goes back to the “it takes a village” or a community.

The coronavirus pandemic provided an opportunity for TeleVisit’s to occur for many doctors, but not all. Some doctors/physicians do not participate in the TeleVisit option at all and some are limiting the number of TeleVisits they do per year.

The palliative care doctor during the last 3 months did TeleVisits. We were in the midst of Omicron and some icy roads. I am 2 hours away from my palliative care team. It truly is a palliative care team!!!

This is the blessing of a palliative care team, there isn’t a limit to their TeleVisits, probably because they are a palliative care team. When they do a TeleVisit it is a 2-3 stage visit by both the nurse and doctor. The chaplain called to check-in on the last call. Because palliative care is about addressing all areas of health care issues, spiritual- chaplain, mental, counselor- social worker, nurse, and doctor. They work together to keep quality of life and care while their patient individualized care is consistently being addressed at every level.