Articles & Stories

Rae Anne is on a mission to share how palliative care changed her and her family’s life for the better. She is living well, after treatment from stage 4 head and neck cancer, and wants to help other people living with a serious illness understand how palliative care can help them, too. Her video series, Rae Anne Reflects, includes conversations with different members of the palliative care team. Her goal is to share how palliative care adds an extra layer of support for patients and families – from the time of diagnosis, through, and after treatment.  … Read More

Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are mostly known for memory loss that worsens over time, but it comes with a range of complex needs – for the person diagnosed and the family. And the health needs and safety concerns for all involved typically increase as the disease progresses. 

Ann, a 92-year-old mother, grandmother, and former nurse, has been living with dementia for about 7 years. She also has COPD and heart problems. Ann has been able to stay in her own home with the help of her daughter Holly, care from home aides, and a palliative care team. 

Holly and her family know firsthand that the palliative care team improves the quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers by adding a layer of support. 

This is Ann and Holly’s palliative care story. … Read More

Having Huntington’s disease (HD) doesn’t necessarily increase the risk of contracting coronavirus (COVID-19). But unfortunately, some of the symptoms with advanced HD may increase the risk for complications from this respiratory virus, such as difficulty swallowing or clearing secretions from the lungs. Other factors that may increase the risk of complications are older age and having other serious medical conditions such as heart disease, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, and kidney failure.  … Read More

By Holly Koncicki, MD

If you are living with kidney disease, you may know that it comes with many challenges, as symptoms can take a toll on day-to-day life. Along the way, decisions will have to be made about potential treatments, each of which can impact you in different ways. With this in mind, it’s important to know about a medical specialty that can address your symptoms and stress, called palliative care – and how to ask for it. Palliative care is growing in kidney care programs, given the many symptoms that come with kidney disease and the potential impact of various treatments on quality of life. … Read More

By Anthony Back, MD 

One year in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are eager to get back to “normal,” non-quarantined life. With the roll-out of vaccines, there’s light at the end of the tunnel.  … Read More

Rae Anne is on a mission to share how palliative care changed her life—and her family’s—for the better. She’s in remission from stage 4 head and neck cancer, and wants others living with a serious illness, whether cancer or otherwise, to know that palliative care can help them. In her video series, Rae Anne Reflects, she speaks with different members of the palliative care team. The goal is to share the many ways that palliative care adds an extra layer of support for patients and families – from the time of diagnosis, through, and after treatment.  … Read More

If you have cancer, lung, heart or kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, or another serious illness, you should know about a medical team that can address your symptoms and stress. 

The medical team is called palliative care and they’re available in a variety of medical settings. Palliative care teams focus on relieving the symptoms and stress of your illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.  … Read More

You may remember Rae Anne, who shared how she found a lump on the side of her neck while out at a concert. Soon after, she was diagnosed with stage 4 head and neck cancer and started chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Then she received a call from the palliative care team at her cancer center and quickly learned how it would change her life—and her family’s—for the better.   … Read More

The COVID-19 virus is still circulating in the U.S. and millions of people are still testing positive. Thankfully, most who come down with COVID-19 don’t have to be hospitalized. Even so, for many the symptoms can be extensive and recovery can take weeks or months. 

Listen to one woman’s COVID-19 experience, including the palliative care she received that helped keep her at home, and how she coped through six weeks with more than a dozen different and debilitating symptoms.  

This is Bobye’s story.  … Read More

By Andy Esch, MD 

If you care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, you may be struggling with the day-to-day challenges and maintaining quality of life. Dementia is a disease of the brain, which begins with memory loss, confusion, and difficulty making decisions, all of which worsen over time. This may mean that your loved one doesn’t recognize their surroundings or people in their life, or may not be able to find the right words or do tasks that were once handled easily.  … Read More