What is Palliative Care?
Dealing with a serious illness can be very physically, emotionally, and spiritually difficult for many people. Palliative Care is designed to provide comprehensive care to people living with an advanced illness, and can be offered during any stage of an illness. Palliative care is provided by palliative care specialist doctors and nurses, and includes others such as social workers and chaplains who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support.
Palliative Care is different than Hospice care as it can be combined with traditional, curative treatments.
Nonhospice Palliative Care is an integral part of Medicare and private insurance beneficiary treatment plan, related to a serious illness symptom management, while at the same time seeking aggressive curative measures for the life limiting disease.
What is the difference between Palliative Care and Hospice Care?
Nonhospice palliative care is not Hospice care; when a patient is diagnosed with a serious/life limiting illness, patients may choose to receive palliative care (symptom management) In addition to any other ongoing treatments; Nonhospice Palliative Care does not replace any patient treatment program but works WITH the primary treatment being received while focusing on adjunct treatment of any associated symptom complex to aim for maintenance of care while receiving treatments.
Consultative visits are provided by specially trained CRNP (Nurse Practitioner) for those with pain or other symptoms as related to a life limiting illness. Assessment of medications and treatment recommendations are made to the primary physician to reduce symptoms and improve quality oflife. Our team includes social workers and chaplains to provide emotional and spiritual support when requested.