Palliative

And

Hospice Care

What is Palliative Care?

 

“Palliative” means to relieve or reduce pain and discomfort. The goal of palliative care is to prevent and relieve suffering, and to support the best possible quality of life for patients and their families, regardless of their stage of disease or the need for other therapies, in accordance with their values and preferences. Palliative Care provides relief from pain and other symptoms. Comforts whether one has years, months or days to live and is appropriate at any age. Palliative Care helps with the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families. Also, it offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible as long as possible and it offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient’s illness and in their own grieving.

Palliative Care Services Treat the Whole Person and May Include:

  • Exploring patient goals and wishes
  • Clarifying medication and treatments
  • Promoting communication with the healthcare team
  • Supporting the completion of an advance directive
  • Discussing pain and symptom management and the meaning of comfort care
  • Providing information and support regarding home care, skilled nursing, and hospice care

What is Hospice Care?

 

Providing Comfort and Support Hospice care is a specialized care that focuses on supporting you and your loved ones during an advanced illness. The emphasis is on comfort and quality of life, rather than finding a cure. Hospice care enables you to live each day to the fullest as comfortably and dignified as possible.

At Citadel, our Designated Hospice Unit will help patients and families by:

  • Regular visits by a hospice Registered Nurse to the nursing home.
  • Consultations by a specialized hospice physician as needed.
  • Expert management of pain and other symptoms, such as problems breathing or swallowing.
  • Education for nursing home staff, patients and families about patients’ condition, symptoms, medications, and how to best care for patients’ medical needs during this phase of their illness.
  • Emotional and spiritual support for both the patient and their family during this phase of life. This includes help for the family before and after the patient dies.
  • Provides medications and supplies related to the patient’s terminal illness
  • Coordinating the patient’s care and medications across all of the patient’s medical providers, including the patient’s own doctors, hospice doctors, hospice nurses, hospice aides and all nursing home staff.