Is Palliative Care Right For You?

It can be a struggle to determine if palliative care is right for you or your loved one.
If you are unsure if palliative care could benefit you, take the time to answer the following questions:

1. Do you, or someone close to you, have one or more serious illness, such as:
   1. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
   2. Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
   3. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
   4. Dementia or Alzheimer’s
   5. Cancer
   6. Kidney Failure
   7. Liver Failure
   8. Parkinson’s
2. Do you, or someone close to you, have symptoms that make it difficult to be as active as you would like to be, or impact your quality of life? These symptoms might include:
   1. Pain or discomfort
   2. Shortness of breath
   3. Fatigue
   4. Anxiety
   5. Depression
   6. Lack of appetite
   7. Nausea
   8. Constipation
3. Have you, or someone close to you, experienced the following:
   1. Difficult side effects from treatment
   2. Eating problems due to a serious illness
   3. Frequent emergency room visits
   4. Three or more hospital admissions within 12 months for the same symptoms
4. Do you, or someone close to you, need help with:
   1. Knowing what to expect
   2. Knowing what programs and resources are available
   3. Making medical decisions about treatment choices/options
   4. Matching your goals and values to your medical care
   5. Understanding the benefits/burdens of treatments (dialysis, surgery, chemo)
5. Do you, or someone close to you, need help with:
   1. Coping with the stress of a serious illness
   2. Emotional support
   3. Spiritual or religious support
   4. Talking with your family about your illness and what is important to you

If you have a serious illness and are having difficulty with any of the above issues, considering Windber Community Based Palliative Care may be right for you or your loved one. Palliative care is provided by a specially trained team of doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and other specialists who work together with a patient’s primary care doctor to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis.

For more information about our community based palliative care program, or to make a referral, please call us at 814–467-3138.

Palliative Care is appropriate at any age… any stage… any serious illness.