Palliative care is specialized health care for people living with a serious illness, according to the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.

Palliative care is provided by a trained team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists who collaborate with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and any stage in a serious illness; and can be provided along with curative treatment.

Palliative care improves quality of life and lowers symptom burden

Palliative care specialists improve quality of life for patients whose needs are the most complex. Working in partnership with the primary physician, the palliative care team provides:

• Time to devote to intensive family meetings and patient/family counseling
• Skilled communication about what to expect
• in the future to ensure that care is matched
• to the goals and priorities of the patient and the family
• Expert management of complex physical and
• emotional symptoms, including complex pain,
• depression, anxiety, fatigue, shortness of
• breath, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite,
• and difficulty sleeping
• Coordination and communication of care plans
• among all providers and across all settings

Numerous studies show that palliative care significantly improves patient quality of life and lowers symptom burden. Apart from being the right thing to do for patients, this improved quality of life also means that an encounter with the health care system is less stressful and traumatic for families.

Palliative Care improves care quality while lowering costs

Studies consistently show improvements in both quality measures and resource utilization once palliative care is introduced, according to the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC).

Palliative care can be very effective

National Institute of Health (NIH) researchers have studied the positive effects palliative care has on patients and their families. Recent studies show that patients who receive palliative care report improvement in:

• Pain, nausea, and shortness of breath
• Communication with their health care providers and family members
• Emotional support

Other studies also show that starting palliative care early in the course of an illness:

• Ensures that care is more in line with patients’ wishes
• Decreases stress and increases confidence in making decisions surrounding a loved one’s care
• Meets the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their families

At CRMC, the Palliative Care team includes:  a doctor with specialized training in Palliative Care, nurses, social workers, home care staff, oncology staff, a pharmacist, a psychologist, and a chaplain. They will collaborate with your doctor to:

1. Reduce uncomfortable symptoms
2. Improve your quality of life
3. They may also involve other specialists such as physical/occupational/speech therapists and dietitians to help with your treatment plan

Anyone with a serious illness such as:

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Cancer
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Dementia