Palliative Care
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Southeast Palliative Care ServicesAt SoutheastHEALTH, our palliative care team is specially trained to assist you and your family in managing a chronic or serious disease. We can help you work through the complex information that comes with a diagnosis. And we can provide symptom management to improve your quality of life too.
The Benefits of Palliative Care
People sometimes confuse palliative care with hospice. But the two are not the same. While hospice assists people approaching the last stage of life, palliative care is for people in all stages of a serious illness. Patients of any age can receive palliative care while they are actively getting treatment for their disease.
Reviewed 8/23/2022
End-of-life care: True or false?
Do you know the difference between hospice care and palliative care? There's some overlap in the kind of care they provide, so it's easy to confuse the terms. Take this quiz to improve your knowledge about how these valuable services can improve quality of life for people with serious illness.
True or false: Palliative care is only for people who are dying.
False. While hospice is end-of-life care, you can receive palliative care at any time. And you don't have to have a life-threatening illness. It's simply focused on improving your comfort and quality of life—you can have palliative care alongside curative care. In fact, it can help the whole family. And it may provide the best conditions for healing.
True or false: Accepting hospice care mean stopping all medical care.
False. Hospice care is given to people whose chances for recovery are small and whose life expectancy is measured in months rather than years. The focus shifts from cure to comfort. Still, hospice patients receive the medical care they need to manage symptoms.
True or false: Hospice care is only for older people who are dying of age-related illness.
False. Age doesn't matter. Hospice care is open to anyone with a life expectancy of less than six months. Whether it's cancer, Alzheimer's or any other terminal illness, hospice is available to ease pain and promote comfort in the final months of life.
True or false: Hospice care and palliative care can be provided wherever the person lives.
True. Both hospice care and palliative care can be provided in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospice centers or a person's own home.
True or false: There is no limit to how long a person can receive hospice care.
True. Although hospice care is for people who are not expected to live longer than six months, many people do live longer. Predicting how long someone will live isn't an exact science, and doctors' estimates may fall short. Medicare will continue to pay for hospice as long as the patient's life expectancy is measured in months—even if they live for years.
These are just a few of the facts about types of care that could make life easier for the ill person and their family. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor about palliative or hospice care—it's a decision you can make together.
Sources: Administration for Community Living; National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization; National Institute on Aging
Anyone with a chronic or serious illness can benefit from palliative care. We assist people with conditions like heart failure, renal failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). And we work with many cancer patients to help manage symptoms of their illness and any treatment side effects.
Our palliative care specialists partner with patients and their loved ones. Together, they work to help control common problems like pain, fatigue, edema (swelling) and more. Our providers will make sure you understand your disease and treatment choices. They'll guide you through your treatment plan so that you and your loved ones know what to expect. And they'll answer any questions you or your loved ones might have about your disease or medical care.
How to Get the Care You Need
SoutheastHEALTH Palliative Care offers both inpatient and outpatient (home) services. Our advanced practice registered nurses visit families within a 60-mile radius of Cape Girardeau.
Home visits are set up to meet your individual concerns. The visiting schedule is determined by your unique situation and needs.
We offer palliative care to people who receive care from SoutheastHEALTH primary care providers and specialists. Most insurance plans—including Medicare and Medicaid—cover palliative care.
If you think palliative care is right for you, talk to your provider. They can provide a referral. Then, a member of our team can visit with you and your loved ones. We'll see if you're eligible for care and answer your questions.