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Palliative Care
Overview
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a serious illness, our palliative medicine team is here to help. Our palliative medicine team can help you improve your quality of life by managing symptoms like pain, nausea or fatigue. We also support you with the emotional and mental challenges that often come with an advanced, progressive illness.
This care can start at any age right after diagnosis and can be provided along with treatments aimed at curing the illness.
Our primary goal is to improve a patient’s quality of life – no matter the stage or prognosis of their illness.
With Palliative Medicine, you don’t have to face a serious illness alone.
Palliative services near you
Our palliative team sees any patient who has an advanced or life-threatening illness. While that sounds like cancer, many of our patients have different illnesses they need help managing in their day-to-day lives. Our services include:
- Symptom management – The medicine team will provide care and therapy in an effort to relieve your symptoms.
- Primary pain management services for pain caused by cancer or its treatment
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Advanced care planning – Our team and palliative care doctors near you will help you and your family better understand your disease and diagnosis so that you know the next steps in your treatment.
- Medical decision-making – Our team will help clarify your treatment goals and options, as well as support your ability to cope with your illness.
- Referral to hospice or home health – If needed, our one of our clinics will work to help refer you for in-home palliative care near you to ensure you get the treatment that's best for your situation
- Consultation or referral for all other types of pain
Conditions We Treat
- ALS
- Cancer
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Dementia/Alzheimer’s disease
- Heart failure
- HIV/AIDS
- Kidney disease
- Lung & respiratory conditions
- Multiple sclerosis
- Pain management
- Parkinson’s Disease
Benefits of palliative care
Palliative medicine is a team effort made up of specially trained doctors, nurses, social workers and other healthcare specialists. We work alongside a patient’s primary healthcare providers to develop a personalized care plan that addresses the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of care. Palliative medicine provides relief from disease-related symptoms like shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite and pain.
Palliative medicine is made of specially-trained doctors, nurses, social workers and other healthcare specialists. We work to develop a personalized care plan that addresses the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of care.
Benefits of palliative care
Palliative medicine is made of specially-trained doctors, nurses, social workers and other healthcare specialists. We work to develop a personalized care plan that addresses the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects of care.
Supports a better quality of life
For patients and their families
Palliative medicine is delivered alongside other treatments that a patient may be receiving, thus providing a comprehensive approach to patient care.
- Improves quality of life
- Provides comfort to patients
Reducing hospital readmissions
Lower costs, improved outcomes
The cycle of going back to the hospital right after you’ve been discharged poses a significant challenge to you, your family and healthcare systems.
- Helps minimize healthcare costs
- Get the right care when you need it
Supporting family members
Help reduce stress
Dealing with a serious illness can be overwhelming, and palliative medicine helps you and your family navigate the journey.
- Better understanding of treatment options
- Cope with anxiety
Differences between palliative and hospice care
Oftentimes, palliative care is confused with hospice care, but the words are not interchangeable. Palliative care and hospice care are both meant for people with serious illnesses, but there are some important distinctions between them.
Palliative | Hospice | |
|---|---|---|
Who is it for? | Meant for anyone with a serious illness, no matter what stage | Meant for patients who are nearing the end of their life |
When to get care? | Can start as soon as the patient is diagnosed | Given when a doctor believes the patient has six months or less to live |
Why seek care? | Can be given along with treatments that aim to cure the illness | Treatments aimed at curing the illness have stopped |
Where is care given? | Given in inpatient, outpatient, at home and in nursing homes | Often provided at home, so the patient can be in a familiar, comfortable environment |
Palliative care frequently asked questions
Palliative care focuses on providing specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness.
The goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a trained team of palliative doctors and specialists who work together with a patient’s doctor to provide an extra layer of support.
Palliative treatment is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.
Palliative care providers see patients throughout the full arc of their illness on a consultative basis. Hospice is a specialized program that provides end-of-life care to patients who have elected to forgo curative or life-prolonging treatments. Hospice palliative care patients have a life expectancy of six months or less. Palliative medicine can be provided at any time, regardless of life expectancy or active treatment. All hospice care is palliative, but not all palliative care is hospice care.
Palliative medicine may be right for you if you have a serious illness. Serious illnesses include but are not limited to: cancer, heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and many more. Palliative medicine and comfort care are appropriate at any stage of a serious illness. You can also have this type of care at the same time as treatment meant to cure you.
No, as a consulting service, the palliative medicine team provides an extra layer of support and works in partnership with your primary doctor.
Yes, absolutely. Your treatment choices are up to you. You can have palliative care at the same time as treatment meant to cure you.
Anywhere in the Appalachian Highlands! If you can come to the office, we will see you there. If not, we may be able to offer home-based palliative care, care in a nursing facility, or virtual palliative care treatment via telehealth services. If you are hospitalized in the Ballad Health system, we cover most facilities in person and are constantly expanding our services.
Palliative medicine settings
- Home palliative care services and visits
- Inpatient palliative care
- Nursing home
- Outpatient palliative care
You can have it at any age and any stage of an illness, but early in your illness is recommended. Recent cancer guidelines say that cancer patients should receive some type of palliative care early and together with their other treatments. People who are newly diagnosed with advanced cancer should receive a palliative care consult within eight weeks (about two months) of their diagnosis.