What is Palliative Care?

Palliative Care (you may also hear the term Palliative Medicine) is a medical specialty that focuses on reducing symptoms and improving quality of life for individuals living with serious and life limiting health conditions, and their loved ones.

Palliative Care utilizes a person-centered and interdisciplinary team-based approach to care. A palliative care team can include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, chaplains and/or pharmacists, all with specialized training in Palliative Medicine.

Palliative specialists work alongside a patient’s other doctors and care providers. They specialize in addressing the total symptom burden:

• the physical

• the emotional

• the spiritual

• the practical

Palliative Care is appropriate at any time during serious illness regardless of whether or not a patient is approaching end of life.

For example, while an oncologist treats a patient's cancer, a palliative clinician can be helpful in attending to that patient’s symptoms, helping to make the cancer treatment more tolerable for the patient. Or a patient may see a palliative clinician when the patient no longer wants illness related treatment and chooses instead to focus on reducing suffering and optimizing his/her quality of life.

Palliative Care can be accessed in a hospital, an outpatient clinic or at home. It may look different depending on where you are.

Curious if you might benefit from Palliative Care? Give me a call so we can chat and discuss what might best align with your goals and wishes.

Who becomes a Palliative Care specialist?