Palliative Care

Specialized Care Focused on Helping You and Your Loved Ones Live Well with a Cancer Diagnosis

Our palliative care team, working with your oncologist and other healthcare providers, focuses on preventing, managing, and relieving the symptoms of cancer and the side effects of treatment. In addition to treating physical issues, such as pain, nausea, and fatigue, palliative care also focuses on relieving stress and supporting your emotional, spiritual, and practical needs, as well as the needs of your loved ones and caregivers. You can receive palliative care at any age and at any stage of your cancer diagnosis. Talking about palliative care anytime during a cancer diagnosis can help you, and your loved ones better understand what to expect from the illness and treatment, plan for the future, clarify your goals and expectations, and maintain your quality of life.

Palliative care services can include visits with specially-trained team members such as doctors, advance practice providers (like nurse practitioners and physician assistants), nurses, social workers, and dieticians, helping with a range of issues to better support you and your loved ones. This extra layer of support has been shown to reduce symptom burden, enhance the emotional well-being of patients, loved ones, and caregivers, increase function and quality of life and facilitate more robust communication and care coordination amongst the healthcare team.

How We Can Help

Comprehensive management of symptoms to provide relief from pain, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, constipation, and other physical issues related to cancer and its treatment
Nutritional guidance
Emotional support and tools for you, your loved ones, and caregivers to enhance coping
Treatment of depression and anxiety as related to the cancer diagnosis
Resources to address practical needs, such as caregiving, transportation, and financial assistance
Clarification of what to expect from illness and goals of treatment
Support and advocacy of personal values and priorities to enable you and your loved ones to live as well as possible with a cancer illness
Facilitated communication with your health care providers as well as with loved ones and caregivers
Advance care planning (recommended for any adult age 18 and older) to establish health care wishes and priorities and provide valuable information to your health care team in the event that you are not able to speak for yourself, to designate health care representatives, and to plan for the future
Guidance and support around treatment decisions and goals of care