Palliative Care
Compassionate Care Designed To Comfort
Our palliative care services at Southwest General are not meant to delay, stop or reverse the disease process but rather to ease suffering and offer the best possible quality of life for patients and their families. The purpose of palliative care is to focus on goals of care; pain and symptom management; help in making difficult decisions; and medical care coordination in partnership with your managing physician.
Who can benefit from palliative care?
- Patients of any age who face a debilitating or serious illness. Many palliative care patients include those with cancer, cardiac disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), respiratory disease, renal failure, AIDS, dementia and other conditions.
- Patients with physical suffering, such as pain, shortness of breath, weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, constipation, insomnia, sores and seizures, etc.
- Patients who are experiencing emotional suffering, including anxiety, fear, apprehension, depression, loss of dignity, spiritual issues, loneliness, a sense of burdening others, etc.
- Patients at the end of life.
The Goals of Palliative Care
Often an overlooked aspect of care, palliative care is an important option for patients and their loved ones and can help to:
- Prevent and relieve pain, suffering, discomfort and stress that can occur with debilitating or life-threatening illness
- Meet the emotional, spiritual and cultural needs of patients in any stage of a serious illness
- Improve the patient’s quality of life, achieve comfort and help patients to live as actively as possible
- Provide education and support for difficult decisions about current and future care
- Help with coordination of medical care
Our Palliative Care Team
At Southwest General, palliative care is coordinated with the patient's primary care physician. Our palliative care team includes a nurse certified in hospice and palliative care, caseworkers, a chaplain and patients and their families. We work in partnership with your physician and other caregivers to maximize the benefits you receive from treatment.
How is Palliative Care Different than Hospice
Palliative care is offered to a patient who—at all stages of debilitating or life-threatening illness—is still undergoing curative medical treatment. Hospice care services are delivered to patients who are terminally ill and no longer seeking curative measures.
Is Palliative Care Right For Me?
Palliative care might be right for you or your loved one if you have experienced:
- Frequent visits to the emergency room
- Multiple admissions to a hospital for the same symptoms (three or more within 12 months)
- A turning point in your illness where treatment is no longer working
- Symptoms associated with serious or life-threatening illness
Learn More About Our Cleveland Palliative Care Services
If you are interested in learning more about our palliative care services in Cleveland, talk to your physician. They can provide a referral to our services and one of our palliative care nurses will contact you once the referral is completed to set up a visit.
Find out more about Southwest General’s Palliative Care services today. Contact our team by calling 440-816-5040.
