Palliative Care

Ridgeview offers palliative care services to patients dealing with serious (life-limiting or potentially life-limiting) medical problems. This "extra layer of support" focuses on relieving suffering and improving the quality of life, concurrent with life-prolonging treatments. Our palliative care team will develop a plan of care for the whole person and family—mind, body and spirit—and sees patients and their families in both the clinic and hospital settings.

Palliative care services include:

Symptom management
Emotional and/or spiritual support for patients and their loved ones
Guidance through difficult medical decisions

Palliative care services are often provided to patients with the following medical conditions (but not limited to):

Cancer
Chronic lung disease (COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, etc.)
Congestive heart failure or other serious heart conditions
Renal (kidney) failure
Liver failure
Neurodegenerative (dementia, ALS, Parkinson’s)
Stroke
HIV/AIDS

Ridgeview’s Palliative Care Team

Ridgeview’s palliative care team works with each patient to meet his/her individual needs, providing:

Complex symptom management (i.e., pain, nausea, shortness of breath, fatigue, poor appetite)
Emotional and/or spiritual support for the patient and their loved ones
Decisional support such as discussing “goals of care” and future decisions, including the completion of a Health Care Directive

Our multi-disciplinary palliative care team includes a specially-trained palliative care physician, an advanced practice registered nurse and a spiritual health professional (chaplain).

When to Consider Palliative Care

Referrals for palliative care services are made by the patient's physician or hospitalist when there is a serious illness (life-limiting or potentially life-limiting) and an unmet need relating to a patient's symptom management, support or decision making.