Primary goal of palliative care is to help patients deal with pain and discomfort. Emotional, socio-cultural, and philosophical sadness are also included in the pain they feel physically. When it comes to alleviating physical symptoms, palliative care can be used to help alleviate nausea, fatigue and shortness of breath. Palliative care can ease the emotional and financial burdens of cancer treatment and its aftermath for patients and their caregivers.

Hospice workers can help alleviate some of the stress of caring for a loved one with cancer by assisting with their symptoms and providing emotional support. For hospice care, the primary goal is to improve the patient’s quality of life. For cancer patients, hospice care also aims to reduce the number of hospitalizations. Thus, symptom management tends to be focused on this objective. A hospice team can help your cancer-stricken loved one in the following ways:

• Making preparations for an emergency.

Patients with cancer who suffer from sudden episodes of dyspnea can be in a great deal of discomfort. With the assistance of the hospice team, a strategy for dealing with these episodes can be devised, which can help to shorten their duration and make Cancer less distressing overall.

• Managing oxygen therapy is a difficult task.

Some patients with advanced cancer disease will require oxygen therapy, particularly if they are experiencing frequent and severe episodes of dyspnea, which is common in this population. An experienced hospice and palliative caregiver can assist a patient in managing the amount of oxygen prescribed by their doctor during times of respiratory distress. To make the patient more comfortable, it may be necessary to assist the patient in putting on an oxygen mask or to adjust the levels of oxygen administered to the patient.

• Medication administration.

Those suffering from advanced illnesses are frequently prescribed medication, and hospice care staff can assist patients by reminding them to take their medications on time and administering any necessary medication. Cancer patients may find it easier to breathe with the assistance of medications because they reduce the discomfort associated with taking a deep breath, which may reduce the need for additional interventions.

• Practicing breathing techniques to alleviate difficulty breathing

Those assisting Cancer patients in performing relaxation exercises or teaching breathing techniques can help to alleviate the pain and anxiety associated with dyspnea.

• Putting the patient in a comfortable position is the first step.

Depending on the patient’s sleeping or sitting position, any underlying respiratory difficulties may be alleviated or exacerbated. Hospice nurses and home care professionals may be able to assist your loved one in adjusting their position in a bed or chair in order to maximize breathing and ensure comfort during their final days.

• Efforts to reduce fatigue.

Patients with cancer frequently become exhausted very quickly, even when performing tasks that were previously simple for them to complete. Excessive physical activity may result in worsening of breathing problems. Cooking, cleaning, and personal grooming are just a few of the activities of daily living that hospice staff assist patients with when they have become difficult to perform. Patient assistance in remaining relaxed and refraining from intense exercise, for example, may help reduce the number of coughing fits or dyspnea episodes.

• Caregiver education 

Most of the time, family members are unsure of the best way to assist a loved one who is afflicted with cancer. Additionally, hospice staff members can offer advice on how to make the patient’s day-to-day life a little easier, in addition to providing answers to questions about the condition. In addition, bereavement counselling is available to assist family members in preparing for the possibility of losing a loved one in the future.

• Peaceful End-of-life care

It takes more than just reducing coughing fits and assisting the patient in breathing more peacefully at the end of life to provide effective end-of-life care for cancer patients in the final stages of their illness. Managing the psychological and emotional consequences of cancer is also part of the process of cancer treatment.

Patients who are nearing the end of their lives frequently experience feelings of hopelessness and anxiety. Having the fear of not being able to breathe freely can be extremely stressful for cancer patients and can make their condition worse. Patients who are fearful of having a breathing episode in the presence of friends or family members may choose to socially isolate themselves in order to avoid the possibility of experiencing such an episode. A hospice team includes members who can help alleviate anxiety and loneliness by engaging in conversation and diverting attention away from the presence of chronic symptoms. These members are called on-call volunteers. Patients who are experiencing emotional, mental, or spiritual difficulties can benefit from the assistance of hospice social workers, priests, and volunteers.

A hospice team can also provide assistance to the family of a cancer patient. Aide in the home provides caregivers with assistance by taking care of the day-to-day tasks so that they can devote more time and attention to their loved one. Palliative care allows caregivers to take a break from providing round-the-clock care, which can help to reduce caregiver burnout by lowering caregiver stress levels. The comfort of one’s own home during one’s final weeks or months of life, surrounded by family and friends, is made possible by at-home hospice care.