When is it time for Palliative Care?

When decisions truly matter, palliative care is available to your and your loved ones.
Any person suffering with symptoms or effects of advanced illness may benefit from palliative care.

Palliative care is far from doing nothing. Patients with advanced disease need to understand the benefits and burdens of each treatment offered. The palliative care team will work closely with the patient and family to define their goals of treatment and care.

Palliative Care is appropriate whenever there is an underlying serious or life-threatening illness and any of the following:

• Quality of Life Decisions
• At time of diagnosis or at any point during the course of the illness
• Distressing physical symptoms such as pain, nausea, or loss of appetite
• A difficult decision to be made concerning the most appropriate level of care
• Assistance is required by patients and/or families in coordinating end-of-life care services

The intention of Palliative Care is to achieve the best possible quality of life and relief of symptoms and suffering for patients and families affected by advanced progressive disease. The Palliative Care team can offer advice in the following areas:

• pain management
• symptom management
• social issues
• psychological issues
• emotional issues
• spiritual support
• decision making regarding goals of care
• advance care planning

Palliative care is patient and family centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing, and treating suffering. The overall goal is to improve quality of life by emphasizing care of the whole person, including family and loved ones.
 

When is it time for Hospice?

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