Palliative Care

Many people living with serious illnesses such as cancer, congestive heart failure, COPD or other lung disease, kidney failure, liver failure, and Alzheimer’s and other dementias, among others, experience physical symptoms and emotional distress related to their disease. The Community Palliative Care team is here to help you improve your quality of life.  They can provide expert recommendations to help manage the symptoms of your disease or its treatment.  They can help you navigate the sometimes confusing and fragmented healthcare system. They allow extra time to discuss your goals and your treatment options, then ensures that your providers and care team are aware of your goals.  

Who is Palliative Care for?

Palliative care is appropriate for people who are suffering from negative side effects of their disease or treatments for their disease. It is also for patients who are re-evaluating their goals of care, or those who want to discuss their end of life wishes and establish advance directives.

Benefits of Palliative Care

The Community Palliative Care team will work to relieve pain and manage other symptoms of the disease or its treatment. They will provide emotional support to the patient and family and empower you to make healthcare decisions that align with your goals. The team works to prevent or reduce hospitalizations by improving symptom management. They will guide medical decision making and assist in filling out advance directives.

Your Community Palliative Care provider acts as a consultant. This means they do not write prescriptions or make changes to your plan of care.  After your Community Palliative Care visit, the provider will make specific recommendations to you and your doctor to help you feel better and manage your symptoms. Our team will provide follow up calls and visits based on your needs. 

What can the Community Palliative Care team help with?

  • Pain or discomfort
  • Shortness of Breath
  • Fatigue
  • Anxiety 
  • Depression
  • Lack of appetite
  • Nausea
  • Constipation
  • Sleep problems

 

Who pays for Palliative Care?

Community base palliative care services are covered by Medicare Part B, Medicaid, and most commercial insurances. There may be a co-pay similar to your copay for primary care or specialty care visits. 

The Community Palliative Care team will help you and your family know what to expect and what programs and resource are available to you. They will match your goals and values to your medical care, and help you make decisions about treatment based on these goals.  They will help you to understand the pros and cons, or the benefits versus the burdens of treatment so that you can be empowered to choose care that is right for you.