Palliative Care

Palliative care services can be beneficial for anyone living with serious illness, as well as their loved ones and caregivers.

Palliative care is a medical specialty that helps patients manage symptoms and improve quality of life. It provides support for coping and adjusting to illness and assists patients and their loved ones in planning for the future.

Palliative care services are often provided to patients with serious medical conditions, including but not limited to:

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

Ridgeview’s Palliative Care Team

Ridgeview’s Palliative Care team works with each patient to meet their individual needs, providing:

Complex symptom management, including cancer pain, nausea, constipation, shortness of breath, fatigue, poor appetite, depression and anxiety
Emotional and/or spiritual support for the patient and their loved ones
Decision support, including discussion of goals of care, planning future decisions and completing a health care directive

Ridgeview’s multidisciplinary palliative care team includes a specially-trained palliative care physician, advanced practice registered nurse and a spiritual health professional (Chaplain).

When to Consider Palliative Care

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