Palliative care

Palliative care may be considered when patients are diagnosed with a chronic or life-limiting illness and need help managing their symptoms.

Palliative care begins when your physician recommends this service for you. A discussion with the referring physician and our consultation team will help determine the next steps.

Palliative teams vary, depending on you and your family’s needs. A typical care team may include:

• Palliative care physicians
• Advanced practice and specialized nurses
• Medical social workers
• Chaplains

Insurance, Medicare and Medicaid usually cover palliative care services.

Absolutely not. The goal of palliative care is to make you comfortable and help you achieve the best possible quality of life. You can have palliative care while you are undergoing treatments that may cure or reverse the effects of your illness. In fact, palliative care can help you cope with aggressive treatments by getting your pain and other symptoms under control to help you fight the disease.

Edward-Elmhurst Health offers inpatient and outpatient palliative services. Outpatient palliative services are also offered through Residential Hospice. Find out which services best fit your needs by calling one of our palliative care nurses today. For Edward Hospital, call 630-646-6870. For Elmhurst Hospital, call 331- 221-0323.

Yes. Hospice is a type of care specifically for people who likely have six months or less to live. Palliative care can be received by patients at any time and at any stage of illness, whether it be terminal or not.

View the differences between hospice and palliative care