Palliative Care

Palliative care is helpful when a patient receives a new diagnosis or experiences a progression of a serious or terminal illness. Masonic Village Hospice’s palliative care combines medical, pharmaceutical, dietetic, social work, spiritual and other integrative therapies to provide comfort and quality of life for patients and families. While palliative care does not replace active treatments of a disease, it offers beneficial support at any stage of an illness by focusing on symptom management, as well as a patient’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual well-being.

Palliative care services are billed to Medicare (Part B) or private insurance. Co-pays will apply.

Who can benefit from the program?

• Patients with a serious or terminal illness and prognosis of 12 months or less (including cancer, lung disease, congestive heart failure, kidney failure, liver disease or neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease).
• Those who have been discharged from hospice services.
• Those who qualify for hospice services but are not ready to discontinue curative treatments.
• Patients referred to hospice but do not meet the criteria to qualify for services.

Palliative care supports patients and families by:

• Providing ongoing support, allowing patients to identify their needs and discover what is most important to them during their journey.
• Helping with managing symptoms like shortness of breath, anxiety, pain, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, insomnia and depression.
• Offering recommendations to a patient’s primary care physician and assisting in coordination of community resources.
• Assisting with developing an individualized plan of care based on their personal values and beliefs and provide ongoing education.
• Assessing caregiver needs and a patient’s home environment in preparation for continued care and services.

Should you determine it is time to transition from palliative care to hospice, it does not mean you’re giving up. Hospice allows you and your family to focus on comfort and symptom management while experiencing the best quality of life possible.