Palliative Care Services Can Help Individuals with Chronic Conditions

Palliative care and oncology clinical nurse specialist, Bronwyn Long, RN, DNP, describes palliative care services available to individuals and families living with chronic illness. Palliative Care can be differentiated from hospice care in that it is not limited to individuals with a terminal illness.

Transcript

Palliative care is a medical specialty that focuses on bringing comfort to patients and their families who are living with a serious illness.

Palliative care aims to relieve suffering by focusing on symptom management and establishing goals of care, as well as focusing on advance care planning.

There are a number of resources available to people in the palliative care program.

These include board certified physicians and nurses, clinical social workers, dietitians, pharmacists and other staff members, all of whom are trained to help meet a palliative care patient’s and their family’s unique care needs.