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Who might
benefit?
Palliative care is
for people of any age who experience life-threatening or
advancing illness. We offer assessment at the
request of your physician. You may benefit from
this care if you have:
-
A disease for
which a cure is possible but not certain, like
cancer.
-
A disease for
which there is no cure but where palliative care may
increase the quality of life, such as congestive heart
failure or chronic lung disease.
-
A disease for
which treatment is focused on improving quality of
life, such as ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease)
or cerebral palsy.
-
A condition that
may not be progressive, but can cause life-limiting
complications, such as cerebral palsy and other brain
or spinal cord injury.
Palliative care is a
special kind of care for people who experience advanced
chronic, or progressive illness. When an illness
is no longer curable, palliative care offers symptom
management with compassion.
We will help you
maintain the best possible quality of life, following
your wishes. The plan of care recommended by the
palliative care team will consider your desires for
treatment, monitoring, and testing. A palliative
care doctor or nurse practitioner will work with your
doctor, pharmacist, chaplain, physical and occupational
therapists, respiratory therapist, social worker, and
nutritionist.
Along with your
physical needs, palliative care tends to the social,
emotional, and spiritual aspects of your care. We
can also provide a support system to help relatives and
friends cope with your illness. Our goal is to
focus on adding "life to a person's years", rather than
"years to a person's life."*
*Consensus Statement,
American Academy Pediatrics
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