PALLIATIVE CARE EXPLAINED
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative Care is appropriate for all stages of serious illness, starting at diagnosis. It helps to empower the patient to make informed choices that are best suited to their unique needs.
Palliative Care helps people complete conventional disease-modifying treatments by keeping them informed, in control, out of pain, and supported.
Palliative care is a board certified medical specialty that focuses exclusively on seriously ill people and provides four basic services:
01.
Expert-level pain and symptom management
02.
Intensive, accessible, and compassionate counseling on disease trajectory, treatment options (from the most aggressive to comfort only), and likely outcomes
03.
Information on and documentation of advance directives; counseling on assigning a health care representative and electing a “Do Not Resuscitate” order
04.
Management of physical and/or mental Illnesses (e.g. medical management of pneumonia, or treatment for anxiety over a life-threatening diagnosis)
Unlike many other facilities, Connecticut Hospice palliative care doctors are board-certified in palliative care and other specialties. In addition to providing the highest level of clinical care, our interdisciplinary care teams provide an extraordinary level of social, emotional, and spiritual support.
We engage and empower patients and families as we develop customized care options that respond to each patient’s particular needs.
Inpatient Palliative Care
Our unique 52-bed, licensed, inpatient hospital in Branford allows our patients the option of inpatient admission for rapid control of symptoms and medical management that can’t be accomplished at home.
The beautiful waterfront facility provides a degree of personalized comfort, rare in conventional inpatient settings.
