August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 1 Interpreting

August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 1

Interpreting in Palliative Care Produced with the support of the California Health. Care Foundation www. chcf. org August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 2

Palliate = to make less severe In health care, to palliate means to lessen the severity of pain or disease without curing or removing the underlying cause. August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 3

Remember this! Palliative care treats, prevents, or relieves the symptoms of a serious or chronic illness but does not cure it. August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 4

Remember this too! Palliative care + curative care OR Palliative care alone, when curative care is no longer helpful. August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 5

In a nutshell Palliative care ü improves the quality of life ü for patients who are facing serious illness ü as well as for their family and friends. August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 6

Palliative care Hospice care Pain management Comfort care August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 7

BOTH palliative care and hospice. . . August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 8

Hospice. . . August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 9

Hospice. . . August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 10

Palliative Care Graphic by Anne Kinderman, MD; used with permission. August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 11

But what about “comfort care”? August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 12

Palliative care provides: • Time for meetings and counseling. • Expertise in managing physical and emotional symptoms. • Support in resolving conflicts. • Coordination of care across settings. August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 13

e v i t a i l l a P August 2011 . . e Car . . is Interpreting in Palliative Care ! t r ffo e m a e t a 14

Palliative care teams help with: • Establishing goals of care • Managing symptoms • Patient discharge • Difficult conversations August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 15

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Remember You are interpreting meaning. Are there messages communicated only by context, tone or word choice? Are there cultural issues? August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 17

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Palliative care emphasizes • Maximizing quality of life. • Management of pain and symptoms. • Communication among the treating physicians. • Coordination of medical and supportive services. • Assistance with patient decision-making about care. • Support for caregivers. • Delivery by a team, including interpreters. August 2011 Interpreting in Palliative Care 19

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