What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is a type of specialized medical care for patients who have been diagnosed with serious or life-threatening illnesses. At St. Joseph Hospital, our palliative care services have been specifically customized to provide patients and their families with relief. Whatever the diagnosis, our palliative care specialists work to alleviate you from serious pains, stresses, or symptoms associated with a serious illness or the side effects of treating a serious illness.

In conjunction with our pain treatment services, we aim to appropriately address every aspect of your recovery process. We are completely devoted to helping you maintain your quality of life all while giving you the most amount of control over your medical treatment.

You Are Never Alone at St. Joseph Hospital

We make certain that you and your family understand every aspect of your treatment, ensuring that you make informed decisions every step of the way. From advance care planning to pain relief support, we are a team of compassionate companions as we carefully help you along your journey.

Devoted to our hospital's primary mission, our palliative care services begin upon diagnosis and continue even after the bereavement process. Our hospital's "No One Dies Alone" program is a primary example of our philosophy of care at work. We also strive to provide reassuring treatment to dying patients who would otherwise be alone in their final moments.

How Our Palliative Care Services Can Help You

Having a serious, chronic, or terminal illness can be emotionally, spiritually, and physically draining for anyone. Healing and recovery could take a lot of effort, but with a team of medical professionals all working cohesively towards your personal health, the grief and burden often associated with a serious illness can be lifted off your shoulders.

Our palliative care services can help in various ways, including:

• Managing symptoms, pains, and medical-related problems
• Providing specialized services to cater to unique needs, including physical therapy, speech therapy, or other inpatient services
• Arranging for emotional and spiritual support from certified counselors
• Educating families throughout every stage of development and medical treatment
• Discussing the pros and cons associated with treatment, and providing multiple options for families and patients to choose from regarding the treatment of an illness
• Providing respite care so caregivers can take a break
• Helping families plan ahead by way of estate planning, or discussing other advance medical directives to ensure a patient's final wishes are fulfilled

Our approach to palliative care perfectly complements any of your curative measures as well as all of your other medical treatments. Our nurses, doctors, social workers, therapists, pharmacists, nutritionists, and chaplains work together as a team to provide you with a web of social, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual support.

Do you want to initiate palliative care?

Anyone who has been diagnosed, or percieve remediable suffering, can request for palliative care help. This includes requests from a family member who is concerned for their loved one. If formal physician input is required, there is no cost to patients beyond the customary professional billing for medical consultation (this requires a physician order from the patient's doctor). If you would like to arrange palliative care services, we would be happy to help you today.

Devoted to Upholding Your Quality of Life

If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with a serious illness, you may benefit greatly from palliative care. Let our palliative care experts at St. Joseph Hospital provide you and your family with the support that you need today. We can be your trusted partner as you navigate through the complexities of medical treatment and healthy recuperation.