Palliative Care
Turn to the skilled home care providers at Adventist HealthCare to ease stress, treat symptoms and provide support to you and your loved ones.
What’s Palliative Care?
The goal of palliative care is to improve a patient’s quality of life during a serious illness. A team of specialists work together with the patient’s physicians to relieve any discomfort due to a serious illness. Our team aims to improve the quality of life of both, the patient and their family. Palliative care can be provided at any age and stage of an illness and can be given along with curative treatment.
What Illnesses are Supported by Palliative Care?
Any serious illness that causes pain, stress or inability to manage day to day life qualifies for palliative care treatment. This can include, but is not limited to:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Cancer
- Dementia
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
- Lung disease
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Stroke
How is Palliative Care Helpful to Patients?
Palliative care’s main goal is to support the patient and their family. Assistance provided can consist of:
- Understanding your diagnosis
- Understanding treatment options
- Symptom relief from pain, shortness of breath, nausea, decreased appetite, anxiety and more
- Guidance on medical decisions
- Understanding caregiving needs like living arrangements and finances
- Communication with family members about treatment options, goals and any concerns you may have
- Ability to navigate daily life
- Emotional, mental and spiritual support for you and your family
- Coordination with all healthcare providers involved in your care
How Do I Receive Palliative Care?
Receiving palliative care services is easy. Mention to your doctor or care team that you are interested in services, and they will ensure you receive a consultation from our team.
Who Does My Palliative Care Team Involve?
Your palliative care team will involve:
- You
- Your loved ones
- Palliative care Physicians
- Palliative care Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioners
- Palliative care Licensed Clinical Social Worker
- A Chaplain
Who work Closely with:
- Your attending physician
- Your specialty physicians
- Physical therapists, occupational therapists and respiratory therapists
- Care navigation
It’s important to understand that palliative care is different than hospice care and anyone, at any point of their illness, can receive palliative care treatment to assist in relief from symptoms or regular treatment side effects.
