[00:00:00] Speaker A: I am speaking with Dr. William Logan, National Medical Director for Carillon Health. Dr. Logan, thank you so much, sir, for taking some time for me. Really do appreciate it.
[00:00:08] Speaker B: Thanks for having me, Matt. I appreciate it.
[00:00:11] Speaker A: Yeah, no problem at all. It's a very important thing that we're talking about today, as November is palliative care month. And I think there can be a lot of confusion between palliative care and maybe hospice care. Explain to folks who might have, you know, might share in some of that exactly what palliative care is and how it kind of differs from other types of care for people who are seriously ill.
Sure, Matt.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Hospice care is palliative care that's focused on the end of life, so it's a great service for folks who are in those final days, great support. But palliative care as a medical specialty, just like cardiology or neurology, is focused specifically on the relief of suffering, and it can really be involved at any time along the illness journey. So folks who are going to be completely cured of their serious illness can really benefit from the wraparound services that palliative care can provide.
[00:01:23] Speaker A: Wow. And talk about those kind of wraparound services, if you will, and kind of the benefits of those, not only to the patient himself or herself, also to the family members, those. Those who might be, you know, caregivers for folks who are seriously ill and. And the kind of difference that it can make in their lives as well.
[00:01:44] Speaker B: Sure. Well, Matt, as we all know, any of us who have participated in the care of a loved one with a serious illness, when that loved one is suffering, we as caregivers and folks who love that person, also suffer when the patient receives those wraparound services, which can include both medical counseling services, medication prescribing for symptoms, those sorts of things. The palliative care provider also provides support for the caregiver, and that can include instruction and counseling for help with caregiving. It's just good wraparound support and care for that person so that they have the energy, both emotionally and physically, to sustain through that journey along with the patient. So it's just a great support for everyone. And it's important for folks to know that palliative care does not take over the care. You can receive palliative care right alongside your primary care and your primary specialty care that you're receiving for your illness.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: And really what it sounds like is, you know, it's about the quality of life for the patient and for the caregivers as well. Right. I mean, it's not a replacement, as you say. For the overall medical care of trying to perhaps cure a disease or get to a better place health wise. But it is about making the quality of life, no matter the situation, just that much better. Right?
[00:03:28] Speaker B: That's exactly right, Matt. Just supporting that best life that person can have despite that serious illness.
[00:03:35] Speaker A: That's perfect. And also talk about, if you will, advance care planning and explain to our listeners what that is.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: So advanced care planning is a really important process that I recommend to 100% of my patients, no matter where they are in their healthcare journey. Advance care planning is simply a discussion between you and your trusted health advisor, whether that's your primary physician, your primary specialist, or your palliative care provider. Advance care planning just allows you an opportunity to talk about what you want as a part of your healthcare journey and what you don't want. And then you put that down on paper so that it's documented, so that if you aren't able to have a voice in your, your loved ones and your healthcare providers really know what you want so that those difficult decisions are made ahead of time by you, it puts you in charge and it really takes the burden of decision making off of your loved ones and caregivers if that time comes and really guides your healthcare providers. So it's a super important process that I recommend to everybody.
[00:04:53] Speaker A: Yeah, so important there. I remember when my dad was sick toward the end of his life, that was one of the things that was a, you know, just took a burden off of us as family members is, you know, we didn't have to sort of doubt or even think about what he would want necessarily, because it was there, it was written in black and white. And so that's another way again, not only does it, as you say, help the patient, knowing that those wishes are being carried out, but also it helps family, it helps medical providers to just know those decisions really have been made in advance. Of course, that's why it's called advanced care planning, after all. Well, doctor, just about time for us to start wrapping things up here. But anything else that you wanted to mention that comes to mind or maybe some resources that you could direct our listeners to for more information?
[00:05:47] Speaker B: Sure.
We'll just recommend that folks look into palliative care. If anyone is in the midst of a serious illness journey, whether it's curable illness or an incurable illness, palliative care could be a great support for you. And you can find out more on our
[email protected] palliative care.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: Very good. Dr. Bill Logan is National Medical Director with Carillon Health. Dr. Logan, thank you so much, sir, for your time. Really do appreciate it, man.
[00:06:18] Speaker B: Thanks for having me.
