Palliative Care
Benefits
Who It’s For
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“Those who have been afflicted with serious illness or have been involved in the care of a loved one, would agree that palliative care is the answer!
Palliative care is medicine at its best. It is holistic and comprehensive medical care for people afflicted with a serious illness. It is based on a patient’s needs and its aim is to offer and provide relief from the burdening symptoms that go along with illness. The goal is to improve and enhance the quality of life for both the patient and the family. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage of a serious illness.”
Palliative Care
Palliative Care is a form of a specialized medical care that is delivered to patients with serious and severe illnesses. With this type of care, patients will be provided with relief from the stresses and symptoms of their illness. The ultimate goal of patients who are under palliative care is to improve the quality of life, not only for the patient, but the family as well.
The Palliative Care team includes the physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who work with the patient and the primary care physician. The family is involved in this team to ensure the best decisions are made for your loved one.
What are the benefits?
- Puts the patient’s desires, goals, and decisions first
- Supports the patient and family
- Guides the patient and family in understanding the treatment plan
- Improves the quality of life
- Provides pain and symptom control
- Focuses on the mind, body, and spirit
- Reduces unnecessary hospital visits
- Reduces mental and physical distress, as well as discomfort
- May help patients live longer
- Allows the family to gain the strength to carry on with their lives
Who needs palliative care?
- Have frequent visits to the emergency room or have been hospitalized in the last six months
- Have sudden and major decline in cognitive and functional abilities with no identified reversible causes
- Have a primary diagnosis of metastatic cancer with chronic pain and not on chemotherapy
- Under a semi-comatose or comatose state with no reversible causes
- Have persistent minimal oral intake and/or unexplained weight loss
What can our palliative care team do for you?
- Help maintain the most comfortable, independent, and active lifestyle as possible
- Help coordinate care and treatment with your medical team
- Treat pain and symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, depression and anxiety
- Provide answers, assistance, and emotional support to the patient and family when making important and difficult medical decisions
- Identify support services to help you during and after stay
Questions?
For more information about Palliative Care at St. Camillus, please call 315-488-1500 or submit a request by clicking to Contact Us button below.