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What is Palliative Care?\nPastor William “Bill” Harman is our today's guest and he'll tell us more about Palliative Care. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/palliative-care-is-pain-control\nWhat the heck is Palliative Care?\xa0 I'd never heard of it before 2016.\nPastor William \u201cBill\u201d Harman came on the show to explain Palliative Care to us. \n\nHis background is long so I'll summarize his current activities:\n\n* Center for Global Awareness\n* Evangelical Lutheran Church in America\n* Lives in Encinitas, CA\n\nBill Harman is the Chaplain with the Palliative Care Team at Scripps Encinitas Hospital. He came on the show to talk to us\nWhat is it?\nPalliative Care is not hospice.\xa0 It is specialized medical care to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.\xa0 This is for conditions that won\u2019t be cured but can be managed. Some diseases include COPD, other respiratory disorders, and cancer.\nWhy would someone want it?\nThis care is designed for comfort and pain management. It is for the seriously ill, but for those who are trying to get better.\xa0 Palliative care helps minimize pain and discomfort.\xa0 90% of hospitals that have over 300 beds have a palliative care program.\n\nWhat does a Chaplain do?\nChaplains are educators.\xa0 Chaplains provide spiritual care, and educate people about end of life.\xa0 Bill is familiar with 55 religious preferences and helps facilitate the dying\u2019s wishes.\xa0 Bill said that according to the \u201chappiness index\u201d, Bhutan is the happiest country because of how they deal with death. Chaplains deal with human issues, not necessary religion.\nWhy does it even exist?\nIn the 1950s, people died earlier.\xa0 Now we are extending life.\xa0 As we extend life we need to answer questions for ourselves.\xa0 If we want to extend our own lives longer, then palliative care can help with the discomfort and pain we feel because of disease.\nWho pays for it?\nAlthough Medicare pays for the bulk of palliative care, there are pediatric palliative care teams at certain hospitals.\nStories:\nTo hear the both stories in full, listen to the episode on iTunes, Stitcher, or Podcast Addict.\xa0 For instructions on how to listen on your smartphone, go HERE.\nSurfer Story:\xa0 Bill told us a story about a surfer who had cancer.\xa0 He wasn\u2019t going to survive and he wanted to spend one more night on the beach.\xa0 The team was able to get him to the beach to help accommodate his last wish.\nHawaii Story:\xa0 Bill told us of another patient who wanted to go to Hawaii.\xa0 The team wasn\u2019t able to send him to Hawaii, but they DID throw a Hawaiian party for her.\nMarriage:\xa0 Another story was how a patient wanted to see his daughter get married.\xa0 Many of the things that the team did was similar to Make a Wish.\nBill can be reached at Harman.William@ScrippsHealth.org\nToday\u2019s Freebie:\xa0 http://RockYourRetirement.com/Pain\nhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Bill_Harman_160614_IFinal.mp3