Articles & Stories

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

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. Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.

… Read More

In this episode of our ‘Quality Life’ series, we hear from Debbie, a hair dresser, a business owner and a proud grandmother diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. Debbie was in a great amount of pain while receiving treatment for her illness. Then she found palliative care … Read More

If you have a serious illness, your medical treatments can sometimes make you feel worse. You may also feel that your pain, your symptoms and your distress are all part of being sick. It doesn’t have to be that way. Palliative care can help. … Read More

In this episode of our A Quality Life series, we hear from Brandi Hanna, a loving mother of four whose quality of life deteriorated after being diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Brandi shares how palliative care not only managed her symptoms, but treated her as a whole person. … Read More

The job of caregiver, though usually unpaid, is one of the most complex and challenging roles anyone will undertake. There is no how-to manual that can adequately coach people on what it takes to keep a loved one safe and well once he or she has serious medical problems.

Whether you have a loved one living with you full-time or you manage his/her care from 3,000 miles away, chances are you will be called at some point to act as that person’s advocate. So, along with the responsibilities that many of the more than 35 million caregivers in this country face on a daily basis, such as feeding, cooking, bathing or overseeing hired help, you will also need to be a voice for that person if he/she isn’t able to ask crucial questions or find important information. … Read More

We plan for so many things in life: childbirth, school, weddings, retirement – even vacations! Yet studies show that people shy away from planning for serious illness.

When serious illness strikes, life can change in an instant. Families who have had conversations about serious illness with their loved ones, and have organized important documents and health information, find that a few easy steps can be a tremendous help. Use the following as a check list. … Read More

Are you or a loved one living with a serious illness? Maybe you’re a caregiver or family member to a person living with a serious illness. Dealing with a serious illness, whether you’re the patient or a family member, can be difficult. That’s why you need palliative care. … Read More

In this episode of our Quality Life series, we hear from Valerie Wallace, a young, vibrant, upbeat mother of three diagnosed with colorectal cancer that spread to her liver. Valerie shares how palliative care helped treat her debilitating symptoms and kept her treatment goals centered in her care.  Valerie’s palliative care team helped to coordinate her care with other doctors and provided an additional layer of support on which Valerie came to rely.

Valerie Wallace is a young, vibrant, upbeat mother of three and wife to a husband she adores. So when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2013, she was determined to fight. She underwent colon surgery and a round of chemotherapy. … Read More

Millions of Americans are dealing with a serious illness, such as cancer, heart failure or lung disease, whether as a patient or a caregiver. If you’re one of them, you may be sick of trips to the emergency room and unwanted hospital stays to treat pain, shortness of breath or other symptoms. Palliative care can help you stay safely at home. … Read More