Palliative Care Services
What is Palliative Care?
Palliative Care is a special kind of health care for people who are living with a life-threatening illness. This goal of palliative care is to provide the best quality of life through ensuring comfort and dignity by using a comprehensive team approach in order to meet physical, psychological, social, cultural, emotional and spiritual needs.
This type of care is not only for those nearing the end of life. It can be helpful any time pain or other symptoms require special care, and is available to anyone at any age needing assistance with disease management.
How Does Palliative Care Help?
- Improves quality of life with maximum independence and comfort
- Provides greater pain and symptom control
- Reduces anxiety, fear, loneliness and discomfort
- Provides support from a team of trained palliative care professionals
Palliative care also helps patients and families navigate the medical system:
- Help them make decisions about their care and treatment and then ensure that care is received
- Provide answers, assistance and emotional support to patients and families making difficult medical decisions
- Identify services to support patients after leaving the hospital
Learn more about the palliative care services at Avera McKennan »
