Palliative Medicine

Palliative Care is a team approach to medicine that focuses on managing the pain, symptoms, and emotional distress that can accompany serious illness. It is designed to support any other treatment patients receive. The goals of Palliative Care include emphasizing quality of life and supporting individual and family centered decision-making.

The Palliative Care program can help patients at any stage of a serious illness. It is best introduced early in the plan of care, but can be received at any time, including before, during and after treatments for disease. A patient may need palliative care if he or she:

• Is suffering from symptoms that are difficult to treat such as pain, nausea, fatigue, breathlessness, depression, and anxiety.
• Needs help understanding treatment choices.
• Wants support with making difficult medical decisions.
• Needs assistance coordinating treatment.

The Palliative Care Consultants team consists of:

• A doctor who specializes in pain and symptom management.
• A nurse with advanced training in life-threatening illness and coordinating care.
• A social worker with advanced training in counseling patients and family members about treatment goals and advance directives.
• A spiritual coordinator who offers spiritual and emotional support, counseling, and coping strategies for patients and their family.

Pain Management
Our Palliative Care team provides care to patients and family members when pain and other symptoms impair their quality of life. Our team of physicians, nurses, social workers, pastoral counselors, bereavement counselors, volunteers and other healthcare professionals focuses on relieving pain and other distressing symptoms of patients with acute or chronic illnesses. We are experienced in managing many of the symptoms that accompany serious illnesses

Our pain specialists understand that pain does not have to be a part of living. They provide expert relief of pain. A great deal has been learned about controlling pain, fatigue, nausea and the Palliative Care team offers a range of medications and therapies so patients and families do not have to suffer. 

Some patients experience the complete end of pain, but this level of success is not possible for everyone. Patients whose pain cannot be eliminated often find their pain significantly reduced.