Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness.
Palliative Care is specialized care to improve the quality of life for people with serious illness. It can be started at the time of diagnosis and occur alongside curative treatment.
This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, Advanced Practice Providers (Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants), nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.
Working in partnership with the primary physician, the palliative care team provides:
- Time to devote to intensive family meetings and patient/family counseling
- Skilled communication about what to expect in the future in order to ensure that care is matched to the goals and priorities of the patient and the family.
- Expert management of complex physical and emotional symptoms, including complex pain, depression, anxiety, fatigue, shortness of breath, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping
- Coordination and communication of care plans among all providers and across all settings
Services & Specialties
Related Providers
Focus
Palliative care is specialized medical care that can improve the quality of life for a patient who is being treated for a serious illness such as cancer, heart failure, or COPD.
How Care is Paid For
Medicare, insurance companies, or veteran’s benefits may pay for palliative care services.
When Care is Paid For
Care can be provided at any time throughout the disease trajectory, from the time of diagnosis of a serious illness or any time during treatment.
When Care is Delivered
Palliative Care may be provided in the hospital, in our outpatient clinic, or at home depending on each patient’s unique needs.
Customized Care Delivery
Palliative care provides compassionate, comprehensive and interdisciplinary care that reduces suffering and optimizes quality of life by addressing physical, emotional and spiritual needs for patients and families experiencing serious illness.
Locations
736 Battlefield Blvd North
Chesapeake, VA 23320
