Palliative Care

It’s About How You Live

Sometimes referred to as “comfort care,” palliative care is a specialized approach to the treatment of patients with a serious or life-threatening illness. The goal of palliative care is to provide relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of serious illness. It is also designed to improve the quality of life of both the patient and the patient’s family.

Please Talk With Your SoFHA Primary Care Physician about Palliative Care.

No. Palliative care is different from hospice in two main ways:

  • Patients can continue to receive aggressive and curative kinds of treatment like chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis and surgery while receiving palliative care.
  • In order to receive palliative care, patients do not need a physician to certify that they have a terminal diagnosis and a life-expectancy of six-months or less.

Palliative care is for anyone with a serious or life-threatening illness. Serious illnesses may include cancer, dementia, heart and lung disease like CHF and COPD, End Stage Renal Disease, liver disease, ALS, HIV/AIDS and others. Palliative care can be provided to patients of any age, at any stage of their illness.

Palliative care can begin whenever you and your primary care provider believe it can help. Ideally, palliative care should be available from the time of diagnosis and last throughout the course of the illness. Recent research indicates that early involvement of palliative care may actually help people who are dealing with serious medical issues live longer.

  • Pain and symptom management.
  • Care coordination with your current physicians and anyone else who is part of your healthcare team to provide an “extra” layer of support.
  • Assistance with the development of your individual and unique plan of care for the management of distressing symptoms.
  • Completion of your advance directive or end of life plan of care.
  • Spiritual care, if desired, as you and your family deal with the stress of your illness.

Palliative care can be received in any setting. Many patients begin receiving palliative care while in the hospital. Others receive palliative care in their home, in a community clinic, in a cancer center, while in rehab or in a skilled nursing facility.

Most insurers and health care plans will cover the services of palliative care.

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