Palliative Care
While we focus on symptom control and relief, our top priority is to help you restore your quality of life and remedy the pains and stresses that come with serious illness. We help you improve your ability to cope with your treatments and help you and your family make appropriate choices for your care.
Receiving a serious or chronic illness diagnosis can change your life dramatically and you may need additional support to help you adjust to these changes. Palliative care focuses on relieving pain and symptoms and prioritizing comfort and quality of life in any stage of your illness. Our palliative care programs assist families with the comprehensive management of the patient’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. We provide counseling, planning assistance and help navigating the complicated medical system.
Palliative care treats people suffering from serious and chronic conditions, such as:
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Alzheimer's disease
- Cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Dementia
- Heart disease, such as congestive heart failure (CHF)
- Kidney failure
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson's disease
- Stroke
Our medical centers provide in-hospital palliative care services during any phase of a patient's illness, even during active treatment such as chemotherapy. If an illness has progressed to an advanced stage, and hospice care is required, we continue to provide palliative care treatment to relieve pain and other symptoms.
Providence also provides palliative care services in the comfort of the patient’s own home.
Our palliative caregivers anticipate, manage and proactively treat distressing symptoms, such as:
- Anxiety
- Constipation
- Depression
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Pain
- Shortness of breath
- Spiritual distress
Providence palliative care offers patients and families the following services:
- Assessment and review of patient's plan of care, including identifying patient's end-of-life needs
- Collaboration with the clinician's treatment of patient by providing patient-family case management, care coordination and effective management of complex and changing symptoms
- Help navigating the healthcare system
- Guidance with difficult and complex treatment choices
- Coordination of advance directives with the primary physician
- Management and ensured communication of care and treatment options to the patient, family and loved ones
- Perinatal palliative care
Our palliative care programs are available to all patients suffering from a range of serious illnesses, regardless of their prognoses. A patient’s physician can refer the patient to palliative care or patients and family members can request services through their physicians. The team provides consultation to the patient’s physicians who will continue to direct the patient’s care.
Doctors Specializing in Palliative Care
At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.
