Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illness. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.  

You can expect relief from symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping. Palliative care helps you carry on with your daily life. It improves your ability to go through medical treatments. It helps you better understand your condition and your choices for medical care. In short, you can expect the best possible quality of life.  Palliative care may be right for you if you suffer from pain, stress or other symptoms due to a serious illness. Serious illnesses may include cancer, heart disease, lung disease, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and many more. Palliative care can be provided at any stage of an illness and along with treatment meant to cure you.

Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.

Most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, cover palliative care. If costs concern you, a social worker from the palliative care team can help you.

If a primary physician or medical specialist recommends palliative care, you as a patient or family member can choose which agency you want. If this type of care is not mentioned, you can tell your doctors and nurses that you would like to see the palliative care team. Please request Loving Hearts Hospice and Palliative Care.  Loving Hearts is available to anyone in Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio and Ripley counties.