Comfort - palliative care for quality of living
Hosparus offers palliative care, also sometimes described as care for comfort.
Definition of palliative care. The World Health Organization describes palliative care thusly:
"Palliative care is the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. Control of pain, of other symptoms, and of psychological, social, and spiritual problems is paramount. The goal of palliative care is to provide the best possible quality of life for patients and their families."
Help when it's needed. Hosparus staff members and volunteers are specially trained in palliative care.
Interdisciplinary team. Our Palliative Care Consultation Team includes a physician or nurse practitioner, a registered nurse, a certified social worker, and a clinically trained chaplain, all of whom have special expertise in palliative care. Other professionals and volunteers are added as determined by patient needs.
Our team works on-site in participating acute-care facilities, collaborating with the patient's primary physician and hospital health care team.
Core services. Our core services in palliative care include:
- Identification of palliative care need.
- Consultation on pain and symptom management.
- Education for caregivers and professional staff.
- Nursing assessment and interventions to provide optimal comfort care for the patient.
- Psychosocial and spiritual assessment and support for the patient and family.
- Participation in discharge planning.
- Respite or companionship provided by trained volunteers.
- Referrals to appropriate community resources.
- Assistance with financial issues, advance directives and funeral planning.
Enhanced services. Our enhanced services in palliative care include:
- Bereavement counseling, through Hosparus Grief Counseling Center.
- In-services related to palliative care for professional staff.
- Physician education.
- Quality improvement activities.
To contact the Palliative Care Consultation Team, call Dr. Joe Rotella, chief medical officer for Hosparus, at (502) 456-6200, or toll-free at (800) 264-0521, or e-mail jrotella@hospices.org.
Learn more. To learn more about palliative care, see the following websites:
- American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
- Hospice & Palliative Care Nurses Association
