Palliative Care
Palliative care can help make you comfortable when serious illness brings suffering and pain. With any chronic condition, you may worry about physical or emotional pain, medical decisions or bills. At Providence, palliative care addresses the symptoms and stress that can come with some of life’s most heartbreaking conditions. We make coping with cancer, dementia, heart trouble and other difficult diseases a little easier.
Providence palliative care teams include doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, specialists and volunteers. We can provide palliative care on an outpatient basis in the hospital, your home or a healthcare facility such as a nursing home.
In addition to managing pain, medical experts will help with nausea, anxiety, breathing troubles or other discomfort. This special area of care includes a full array of personal and social services and support. When you need someone to lend a hand or lift your spirits, we’re here.
From doctors and nurses to social service professionals and volunteers, your care team includes experts with specialized skills and training in palliative care, plus a heart for service. During your treatment, these or other care providers may help:
- Chaplains
- Counselors
- Doctors
- Medical social workers
- Nurse practitioners
- Pharmacists
- Physical therapists
- Registered nurses
- Respiratory therapists
- Volunteers
Providence palliative care is appropriate for any stage of illness or injury. It is typically recommended by a doctor to manage chronic or incurable medical conditions while you continue to receive active treatment for your illness or injury.
Palliative care is different than hospice care, which focuses exclusively on care, comfort and quality of life for patients during the final months or weeks of life.
Ask your doctor about palliative options at Providence. It can help make dealing with conditions like these more manageable:
- Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
- Brain and spine injury or disease
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Immune diseases and disorders
- Lung disease
- Multiple sclerosis
- Neurological diseases and disorders
- Organ failure
- Severe burns
When someone suffers, it’s natural to feel helpless, especially if you’re caring for a precious child, a beloved grandparent or a treasured family member or friend. At Providence, we understand. Our palliative care team steps in when you need a break or someone to show you the way.
Palliative care will support the treatments you or a loved one are already receiving. Our care team works with your primary doctor, case management professionals and other service providers.
We’ll ensure complete, well-coordinated care while we assist with the following and more:
- Guidance to help you understand your medical procedures or treatment choices
- Help with coordinating treatments from different healthcare providers
- Information, assistance and support with difficult medical or personal decisions
- Treatment for symptoms such as pain, nausea, fatigue, depression, anxiety