Saint Agnes Pain and Palliative Care Team

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is the special care given to patients with a serious illness and the support given to their families. Nurses, physicians, social workers, chaplains and others work together to decrease physical, emotional and spiritual suffering. This approach may be used whether the goal of care is cure, control of the illness, or comfort. Palliative care can also be given to patients at the end of life.

What services are included in palliative care?

Symptom management – For people with a serious illness, it is common to experience pain, nausea, anxiety, shortness of breath and other distressing symptoms. Palliative care uses medications and other types of therapy to treat pain and other distressing symptoms.

Emotional and spiritual support – Palliative care provides support to people who are looking at quality of life, adjusting to new physical limits, finding meaning and hope during illness, and understanding and coping with family issues.

Information and communication – The Pain and Palliative Care Team may facilitate conferences and conversations with members of the healthcare team. Patients and families receive information about the current medical situation and what to expect in the future. Guidance is provided about decisions that need to be made now or in the future. Advance directives are reviewed. Patients may designate whom they would want to make decisions about their care if they could no longer speak for themselves. Discussions can take place to determine what setting is best for a patient and family (e.g., hospice or home care, nursing facility or transfer from the Intensive Care Unit).

How does palliative care differ from hospice?

Hospice care follows the guidelines of the Medicare hospital benefit. It is available to patients during the last six months of their life. Patients receive hospice care at home or in a residential nursing facility.

Palliative care may begin much earlier than the last six months of life, often while a patient continues to receive treatment for a disease. Patients may receive palliative care while in the hospital or in a home care program. Palliative care teams may consult with patients, families and other healthcare team members to treat pain and other symptoms, help with discussion of goals and wishes, or provide extra support. Many patients may choose to transition to a hospice program at a later date.

Feel free to ask the Pain and Palliative Care Team for information about Saint Agnes' hospice program or for a list of other agencies in your area.

For more information or to request palliative care services, call (559) 450- 4634.