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Our
Services
What
services are available?
Treatment to
relieve pain and other symptoms:
Individual
and family counseling:
Emotional and
spiritual support, including attention to end-of -life concerns:
Help in planning
for care after the hospital:
Assistance
with treatment choices and decisions:
Outpatient
Clinic and Home Visits:
Bereavement
support and referral:
Who can receive services?
How can patients be referred?
Will the patient's physicians continue to
be involved?
How does palliative care differ from hospice care?
End of life care
Memorials & Gifts
What services are available?
Services vary, depending on individual patient and family preferences:
Treatment to relieve pain and other symptoms:
The Palliative Care team has an expertise in the management of pain and
other troublesome symptoms that may develop during the course of a serious
illness. The goal of symptom management is to help the patient remain
as comfortable, active and alert as possible. Good symptom control enables
the patient to continue with favorite activities and enjoy the company
of family and friends. The patient's care plan is individual and focuses
on maximum comfort. Palliative care carefully monitors symptoms and uses
a combination of medications tailored to the needs of each patient.
Individual and family counseling:
The Palliative Care team works to encourage an open dialogue between
the patient, family and medical team. Team members are happy to take the
time to listen to each patient and family's questions and concerns. The
purpose is to get to know the patient as a unique individual and to help
the patient identify his or her personal goals and wishes. Palliative
Care also works to provide the patient and family with the information
and resources needed to get through this challenging time.
Emotional and spiritual support, including attention to end-of-life
concerns:
Palliative Care focuses on the whole person: mind, body and spirit.
How the illness personally affects the lives of the patient and family
is important. Everyone copes in different ways. Support is tailored to
the needs and preferences of each individual. Supportive counseling is
provided to those who find having a quiet time to reflect and to address
their concerns helpful.
Palliative Care also focuses on those things that give individuals a
sense of meaning and provide a source of strength and comfort. For some,
this is connected to a spiritual life which may involve a particular religious
tradition or practice. Our goal is to respect and support each person's
connection to what is important in their life. The team can help to assure
that the patient and family are able to continue their spiritual practices,
whatever they may be.
Help in planning for care after the hospital:
The Palliative Care team can provide information about a wide range of
options for care, whether in the hospital, in another inpatient setting
or in the home. The goal is to facilitate a smooth transition, to assure
that care continues in keeping with the patient's goals and wishes. If
and when hospice care is needed, Palliative Care can assist with making
referrals to a hospice program in the patient's community.
Assistance with treatment choices and decisions:
The Palliative Care team is available to help with decisions about treatment
or changes in the direction of care. Even when treatment to cure a disease
is no longer possible, aggressive treatment of symptoms is emphasized
in order to assure comfort. The focus continues to be on intensive caring
and support for the patient and family.
Outpatient Clinic and Home Visits:
The Palliative Care Service also sees patients and their families
on an outpatient basis. Regular office hours are held daily in the new
Yawkey Center for Outpatient
Care. Visits usually focus on pain and symptom management, counseling,
advanced care planning, and arranging for services in the community. Routine
visits may be scheduled by calling 617-724-4000 and asking for the Palliative Care scheduler, or by calling the Palliative Care Service office (617 724-9197).
For selected patients and families living near the hospital, we are able
to provide home visiting by physicians, a nurse-practitioner, and a social
worker. Home visits typically address pain and symptom management, coordination
of care, advanced care planning, counseling, and arranging for appropriate
services in the community. The Service works closely with a variety of
home care agencies, including Partners Home Care and Partners Hospice, to assure close medical supervision and good community support
for patients who are homebound or have difficulty getting to the office.
Bereavement support and referral:
The Palliative Care team realizes that the pain of loss for a family continues
after the death of a loved one. The team will keep in contact with the
family in a variety of ways to offer support and to make suggestions for
resources in the community, such as bereavement support groups. The
Palliative Care Service mails one-page Bereavement
Readings to the families at regular intervals during the first
year after the death.
Who can receive services?
The Palliative Care Service welcomes patients and family members who
are facing a serious or life-threatening illness, regardless of diagnosis
or ability to pay. Services are provided to inpatients and outpatients.
How can patients be referred?
The Palliative Care Service welcomes hospital and outpatient referrals,
as well as requests for information, from health care providers, patients
and family members at 617-724-9197.
Will the patient's physicians continue to be involved?
Yes. The team provides consultation to the patient's regular physician
who will continue to direct the patient's care.
How does palliative care differ from hospice care?
The Palliative Care Service is based in the hospital and can provide
care during any phase of the patient's illness, even during active treatment
such as chemotherapy or radiation. Team members can help with the transition
to hospice care, if needed.
End of life care
When an illness has progressed to an advanced stage, treatment to relieve
pain and other symptoms continues. The Palliative Care team will remain
closely involved with a focus on intensive caring. The goal is to help
the patient live life to the fullest with quality and dignity.
Memorials & Gifts
Many of our services, such as bereavement, are not reimbursable. Every
memorial and gift to the MGH Palliative Care Service makes a difference
and is greatly appreciated. Click to Make
a Donation.
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MGH Palliative Care
Service, 55 Fruit Street, Founders 600, Boston, MA 02114
Telephone: (617) 724-9197 Fax: (617) 724-8693
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