What Is Palliative Care?
Living with the symptoms of serious or chronic illness can be challenging. Journeys Palliative Care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. This type of care is focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain and stress that a serious illness can cause. It is designed for individuals who are not ready for hospice care, but who may benefit from extra support, avoiding frequent hospitalizations and trips to the Emergency Room.
Journeys Palliative Care serves individuals with serious or chronic illness such as
-
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Cancer
- Age-related frailty
- Parkinson’s
- Advanced dementia
- Long Term effects of stroke with disability
- Kidney failure
- Advanced liver disease
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a team that includes a medical director, nurse practitioner, nurse case manager, social worker, spiritual care coordinator and medical assistant. This team works with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care can be provided together with curative treatment.
Palliative care treats the whole person, not just the body part or the illness. We help with recommendations on how to have the best possible quality of life, how to manage the symptoms of the illness and how to coordinate care with other physicians and providers.
Services Provided
You and your family will benefit from any combination of these services.
- Initial assessment in your home from a nurse practitioner or RN
- Symptom management
- Medication management
- Emotional support for you and your caregiver
- Regular contact from a nurse
- Referrals to community services
Eligibility
Journeys Palliative Care eligibility means you have a serious advanced illness (like those listed above), your health care provider is doing everything possible to treat it, and you are still having symptoms such as the following:
- Pain
- Difficulty breathing
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Anxiety
- Falling
- Extreme loss of appetite
- Unintentional weight loss
Anyone May Initiate a Referral
Physicians may make referrals. Individuals may refer themselves or family members. A physician or other provider’s referral is also needed and our team can assist in obtaining this. Simply call the Wings of Hope Hospice Office at 269-686-8659.
Service Area
We serve residents in Allegan County, Van Buren County and surrounding communities including Holland, Kalamazoo and Portage.
We Work with Your Primary Care Provider
Our staff will work with your physician or other provider to help you get the comfort care you need. We will visit you in your home, and together with you, your family and your provider, we will create a plan of care that helps you get the best possible quality of life.
We are available to you to answer questions and help you manage your symptoms. With your permission, we will keep your provider updated on how you are doing and the support we are providing.
Contact us to get started!