Are hospice and palliative care the same thing?
Any kind of medical care given with the goal of improving things for a patient with an incurable problem is a form of palliative care. A great deal of cancer treatment, even some forms of cancer chemotherapy, can be palliative care. All forms of pain medication are palliative care. Even counseling for anxiety can be a form of palliative care. But hospice care is a specific form of palliative care provided to patients with incurable illness when death is expected within six months or so.
How Hospice Began
The 20th century saw the fast development of medicine and medical intervention. Alongside this incredible advancement came the assumption that medicine could cure anything—and the refusal to believe that something is incurable. For most of medical history, however, palliative care and relief from suffering was not just the norm but the only option. Though medical […]
Becoming a Parent after Cancer
Alisa, Mary Jo, and Tony join me today to discuss Alisa’s breast cancer diagnosis and how it impacted her fertility. Tony explains the rarity of breast cancer in young adult women and the unique challenges younger cancer patients face during treatment. He illustrates his experience working with Alisa as both her oncologist and colleague and […]
Scanxiety
This week on Cancer Covered: The prevalence of anxiety among cancer patients Abe’s experience with testicular cancer Developing strategies for managing stress and anxiety related to a cancer diagnosis and treatment The value of increasing communication with medical professionals to ensure you fully understand your diagnosis and treatment plan Addressing the emotional and psychological impact […]
Death is Part of Our Job
David and Caitlin join us today to discuss how cancer invades our lives, moving from our professional life into our personal space. Caitlin shares how her father was diagnosed with three different types of cancer and how she felt about the overnight transition from visiting her husband at work for lunch to regularly visiting the […]
Death is Loss, Not Losing
Matt Malcore is a 5th generation funeral director and Malcore Funeral Home & Crematory owner. Since he was a young boy, Matt hoped that he could serve the Green Bay community the way his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have for over 100 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from UW-Stevens Point and Associates’s […]
Wisdom from the Strangest Places
I’m sentimental about Halloween the way most people are sentimental about Christmas. Fall foliage and pumpkins bring the tang of childhood to my tongue like nothing else. So I spend the month of October watching new horror movies or horror mini-series, if there are any good ones. And if there aren’t, then there’s always the […]
Survivorship: What Lies Beyond Cancer
“Now what?” This is at the top of patients’ minds after completing cancer treatment. For many, it comes with a significant amount of worry. You have achieved the “end goal” so it’s common to wonder, what’s next? Patients are used to being supervised on a daily or weekly basis and that may abruptly change to […]
Dear Cancer Patient – Finishing Up
Dear Cancer Patient, You probably thought this day would never come, but you’re finally finishing treatment. Well done! You probably expected to feel only relief, but don’t be surprised if it’s mixed with a little anxiety. Treatment can become a kind of security blanket, a trusted shield against the cancer – and now it’s going […]
What is Survivorship?
More cancer patients are being cured than ever before because of early detection and improved treatments. Survivorship begins the moment a person is diagnosed with cancer and lasts throughout his or her lifetime. It is a unique journey for each person. There is no right or wrong way to be a cancer survivor. Many survivors […]
