Managing pain and stress improves your quality of life.
Managing pain and stress can be among the most difficult aspects of dealing with any illness or injury. Hancock Health’s palliative care teams are dedicated to improving the quality life for our patients and their families by providing pain relief and comfort—at the hospital, on an outpatient basis, or in your home through our affiliation with Suburban Home Health.
Understanding Palliative Care
Palliative care is a medical specialty focusing on expert treatment of pain, discomfort, and stress that can occur with serious illnesses or injury. Patients benefit from palliative care at all stages of disease; it’s not just for late- or end-of-life care but for patients dealing with chronic illnesses and curable medical conditions. Palliative care is more than medical care: It can be emotional and spiritual care for patients and their families, as well. Ways we can help include:
- Vigorously treating symptoms of pain, nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, depression, and anxiety.
- Keeping patients comfortable and as active as possible to help them enjoy their lives, even while fighting illness.
- Assisting patients and their families to set goals for care, understand their options, and make difficult decisions about treatments.
- Working with specialists and primary care physicians to support integrated treatments for patient needs.
- Identifying and linking patients with resources for support outside the hospital.