Palliative
Patients
The value of palliative care is that it offers holistic support to patients facing serious illnesses by improving their quality of life. This “comfort care” aims to alleviate symptoms, manage pain, and provide emotional support to ensure that patients and their families experience comfort and dignity throughout their healthcare journey.
Here are ways in which these types of care support both patients and their families:
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Pain And Symptom Management
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Emotional Symptom Management
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Communication And Education
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Assistance With Daily Activities
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Spiritual Support
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Bereavement Support
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Coordination Of Care
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Advanced Care Planning
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Creating A Comfortable Environment
​While palliative care is often confused with hospice care because they both aim to alleviate suffering, palliative care and hospice care are NOT the same. Palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for individuals facing serious illnesses and can be integrated with curative treatment. However, hospice care usually involves stopping curative treatments and is specifically for patients with terminal illnesses with a prognosis of six months or less to live.
Referral & Intake
Members of West Virginia Hospice & Palliative Care Network come highly recommended because they adhere to the highest standards of care and quality. Patients and their families interested in palliative care may contact any of the network members and ask about their options via the FIND A PROVIDER link below.
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Patients and their families may also speak with their physician or primary care provider should it come time to consider palliative care, or they may speak with hospital discharge planners or social workers to get more information about treatment options.
