|
St. John's Mercy Palliative Care
 What is Palliative Care?
Palliative Care is focused on relieving pain and other distressing symptoms
such as shortness of breath, nausea, constipation, loss of appetite and
sleeplessness. Palliative Care also offers support to you or your loved
one during an illness.
Your Palliative
Care coordinator is a familiar face throughout your hospital stay(s) and
will provide on-going support for you and your family.
A Palliative
Care coordinator can provide the necessary time to assess your medical, emotional,
social and spiritual needs. This information will be shared with the entire
health care team to make sure your wishes and needs are addressed.
From Initial
Diagnosis Throughout Your Treatment Plan
You may benefit from Palliative Care services throughout your medical treatment
plan. Your Palliative Care coordinator will develop an ongoing relationship
with you throughout the course of your illness. Continuous assessment throughout
all stages of your illness will be provided along with recommendations to manage
pain and other symptoms. Your
Palliative Care coordinator is a support person for you and your family providing
education, resources and making sure your wishes and comfort are addressed.
Your Palliative
Care Team can provide for you:
- assessment
of your pain and other symptoms with options for control
- coordination
of services needed after hospitalization
- resources
to assist with addressing you and your family’s needs
- enhance
communication and goals of care with the healthcare team
- support
throughout all phases of your illness
Palliative Care Goal
The goal of Palliative Care is to help patients live as comfortably as possible
by:
- helping to manage distressing
symptoms
- establishing realistic
goals of care
- providing support throughout
all phases of your illness
- assisting in decisions
with respect to individual wishes
Meet the Palliative Care Team
The St. John’s Mercy medical center Palliative Care Team believes in
caring for the chronically ill and his/her loved ones by working closely with
your physician. Together, the physician and Palliative Care team work to meet
your needs. Additionally, we are committed to teaching you and your caregiver(s)
techniques that will assist you in living each day to the best of your abilities.
We meet regularly to review your plan of care and to provide recommendations
to your physician with emphasis on supportive care and symptom relief.
Along
with your physician and the palliative care nurse, team members may include:
Your nurse
Social Worker
Chaplain
Dietitian
Pharmacist
Respiratory Therapist
Physical Therapist
Other members of the health care team
As our society ages, more
people are faced with acute and chronic illnesses. These illnesses may cause
uncontrolled symptoms such as pain, nausea, fatigue, anxiety and shortness
of breath. If these symptoms remain uncontrolled, patients begin to feel
the burden of their illness. This burden may decrease the quality of their
life. Palliative Care assesses a patient's response to his/her illness- body,
mind and spirit. Through active management and continuous assessment of symptoms,
the Palliative Care Team provides an opportunity for patients and families
to grow and enjoy life within the limitations of an illness. It is with experience,
knowledge and mercy that the Palliative Care Team can help you have a quality
life.
For more information, please call 314-251-6094.
|
