Living with a life-threatening, progressive, or incurable illness can present many challenges for patients and their families. Palliative care is a team approach to medicine focused on preventing or relieving pain and other physical, emotional, and spiritual distress that can accompany a serious illness. It draws on a range of resources and professional expertise and is designed to work in partnership with the patient’s primary treating physician to ensure complete, well-coordinated care.
PALLIATIVE SERVICES
Palliative care services at CentraState Medical Center are coordinated by a dedicated palliative care nurse and are designed to optimize quality of life for patients and their families. They include:
- Pain and symptom management to achieve maximum patient comfort
- Therapy to maintain and improve the ability to perform tasks of daily living
- Emotional and spiritual support for patients and their caregivers
- Education and support groups to empower patients and their families
- Complementary therapies to help ease stress and enhance comfort
- Guidance on insurance verification and approval
- Help with hospital discharge planning, including information about options, recommendations for ongoing care that enhances quality of life, coordination of care, and communication of needs and goals to chosen providers
- Assistance with end-of-life planning and decision-making
- Help with transitioning to hospice, if appropriate
