The origin of the palliative term is traced back to the Latin words pallium, a Greek mantle also brought to Rome, and Palliare, which means covering with the pallium. The roots of this word make it easier to understand its current meaning; a palliative is in fact a remedy that reduces the symptoms of the disease, without intervening directly on the cause .
Palliative care
If the term palliative identifies a medicine or any remedy designed to temporarily combat the symptoms of an illness, palliative care is aimed at alleviating pain and countering the most disabling symptoms of the disease in terminally ill patients .
Palliative care deals actively and totally with patients suffering from a disease that no longer responds to specific treatments and whose direct consequence is death. The control of pain, other symptoms and psychological, social and spiritual aspects is of fundamental importance.
The purpose of palliative care is to achieve the best possible quality of life for patients and their families. Some palliative interventions are also applicable earlier in the course of the disease, in addition to cancer treatment.
Palliative care:
• affirm life and consider dying as a natural event
• do not accelerate or delay death
• provide relief from pain and other ailments
• integrate the psychological and spiritual aspects of assistance
• help patients to live actively until death
• support the family during illness and during mourning.
Palliative care is therefore an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families, who are faced with the problems associated with incurable diseases. Palliative care works through the prevention and relief of suffering, through early identification and optimal treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems.
