How Palliative Care Can Help
Palliative medicine can be helpful to anyone living with a serious illness such as cancer, and we offer it in conjunction with your medical care. Our primary goal is to preserve your dignity and quality of life during and beyond treatment.
Members of our palliative care team will meet with you and your loved ones to talk about your personal care choices. It’s our job to accept and support the choices you make, and help you communicate them to your entire medical team.
You or a loved one can ask your oncology provider - or an attending clinician if you are hospitalized - for a palliative care consultation.
Resources
As a cancer patient, you and your family face multiple challenges, such as making difficult decisions about your medical care and coping with cancer and the changes it brings to your life.
Our Palliative Care team is ready to provide the comfort and support you need.
Palliative care experts offer:
- Expert management of pain and other physical and emotional symptoms
- Emotional support and counseling for you and your family
- Spiritual support
- Help understanding your illness and treatment options
- Support as you clarify care goals and options throughout your illness
- Advocacy and communication of your wishes and needs to the rest of your medical team
- Help with advance care planning, including discussions about creating an advance directive
Your Team
Our palliative care team includes specially-trained providers, social workers and chaplains to support you and your family. They work to improve your physical and emotional wellbeing while advocating for the choices you make.
Team members communicate regularly with your primary physician and other members of your care team to make sure everyone understands your goals, wishes and concerns.
Paying For Palliative Care
Most insurance plans cover palliative care services. For services that are not reimbursed by insurance, philanthropic support may be available to help cover the cost.