Helping you live well with a serious or chronic illness.
Palliative care supports patients and their loved ones by maximizing comfort. It helps them set goals for the future that lead to a meaningful, enjoyable life.
Palliative care is specialized care for those experiencing a serious illness or accident or those with chronic or life-limiting illness. The goal of palliative care is to relieve the pain, symptoms and stress of a serious illness to achieve the best quality of life, while supporting patients and their families regardless of treatment goals and life expectancy. It can be provided along with treatment meant to cure.
Palliative care may be especially helpful for patients with any of the following:
- Cancer; heart failure; liver; lung and kidney problems; MS, ALS, neurological disease or dementia
- Pain, trouble breathing or other distressing symptoms
- Serious illness or accident and facing questions about the future
- Guidance for patients and families with difficult medical decisions to make who seek assistance in thinking through the options
How It Helps
Palliative care is designed to:
- Care for the mind, body and spirit
- Relieve symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, breathlessness, depression, pain and anxiety
- Respect each patient's values and personal choices
- Assist and support in making difficult medical decisions based on the patient's wishes
- Support emotional, psycho-social and spiritual needs
- Coordinate care and treatment among physicians and healthcare providers at all stages of illness
- Identify/coordinate community resources
- Increase understanding of the illness and treatment options
Locations
Mercy’s palliative care services may be provided while in the hospital, as well as on an outpatient basis such as in the home, medical office or clinic setting, or nursing facility.
Referrals
The patient, a relative or any member of a patient’s healthcare team may ask the patient’s physician about a palliative care referral. For more information, contact a member of the Mercy Palliative Care team at (319) 398-6860.
Testimonials
“We would like to express our sincere appreciation of the Mercy Palliative Care program and the benefits it provides to chronically ill individuals and their families.”
– Jeanne Hoyt & Family
“My chronic pain had become uncontrolled and I was suffering on many levels. Today, I am 100% better pain-wise, which leaves me, once again, able to exercise and have hope for the future.”
– Palliative care patient