Palliative care

Our palliative care providers work with you to find relief. This holistic approach can include complex physical pain and symptom management. We can also address your emotional, psychosocial, spiritual and financial concerns. This can be helpful at any stage of illness but is most effective when provided from the point of diagnosis.

Palliative care focuses on:

• Medical care — Information and services
• Social support — Facilitating support from family members and loved ones
• Emotional care — Support groups and counseling
• Spiritual services — Religious support and counseling
• Mental healthcare — Counseling, meditation and help with sleep disorders, anxiety or depression
• Financial support — Help finding free or low-cost medicine
• Physical care — Help managing pain and fatigue

Although palliative care is primarily provided in the hospital setting, it can be provided at home and sometimes even in outpatient clinics. Your estimated life expectancy does not determine your eligibility for palliative care; you can benefit from it anytime.

We will collaborate with your medical team throughout the treatment process. A board-certified clinician will create a care plan and set goals depending on your condition and needs. Your care team may include:

• Chaplains
• Counselors
• Hospice clinicians
• Music therapists
• Registered dietitians
• Social workers

Palliative and hospice care are not the same service. Unlike hospice, palliative care does not discontinue curative treatment nor require your illness to be end-stage or terminal.