Improving Quality of Life When You’re Seriously Ill.

PALLIATIVE CARE is comprehensive treatment of the discomfort, symptoms, and stress of a serious illness. It does not replace your primary treatment; palliative care works together with the primary treatment you’re receiving, including Home Health Services in providing skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and medical social work. The goal is to prevent and ease suffering and improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.

PALLIATIVE CARE IS DIFFERENT THAN HOSPICE CARE. Palliative care is available to you at any time during your illness. You can receive palliative care at the same time you receiving other treatments for your illness. Its availability does not depend upon whether your condition can be cured. The goal is to make you as comfortable as possible and improve your quality of life.

HOSPICE is a special type of palliative care for a person who has a life limiting illness to which there are no curative measures that can be taken to stop the disease progression or if a person chooses to no longer seek aggressive treatment. Hospice professionals including Nurses, Doctors, Social Workers, Hospice Aides, Chaplains and trained volunteers work to make the patient’s life as comfortable as possible by meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient and support to the family 24/7.

• Suffering from medically complex illness/illnesses;
• Can include: heart failure, lung disease, kidney or liver failure, cancer, moderate or late stage dementia, Neurological diseases such as: ALS, MS, Parkinson’s Disease
• Multiple hospitalizations
• Having a difficult time getting out for physician visits
• Desire to reduce frequent hospitalizations
• Physician anticipates less than 12 months to live
• Patient has limited ability to care for self and/or limited access to seek medical care due to exhaustion
• Have life limiting impairments
• Advanced Life Planning/Understanding choices for medical care
• Medication Management

• A Referral can be initiated for Palliative Care Coordination Services 24/7, with our team committed to a 1-hour response time
• Free Initial Consultation to be provided by a Palliative Care Professional to assess needs of the patient and family to include all available options for patients and their families to best meet their care needs prior to discharge home from the hospital, discharge from a skilled setting or outpatient clinic

• Palliative Care will have the most benefit if involved early in the course of a serious illness
• Plan designed to assist with management of symptoms of illness/disease to keep patient safe and at home
• Advance Care Planning Discussions on treatment choices
• Pain & Symptom management Specialist’s; providing a team of Physician’s, Nurse Practitioner’s, Nurses and Social Workers to work with your Primary Doctor to assist with management of symptoms. Coordination of Care with all of your Health Care Providers
• Referrals to Community Resources
• Emotional support for you and your family

Palliative care may be provided in any care setting and is not dependent on care setting or type of medical practice. Services are provided in collaboration with the Patient’s Primary Physician, specialty Physicians and other health care settings, and is provided on an intermittent basis based on the disease progression and needs of the patient.

Most insurance plans cover at least part of the palliative care service provider visits, just as they would other medical services. Medicare Part B also typically covers palliative care provider visits.