“I get to know patients and help heal their physical and emotional pain and improve their quality of life at all stages of treatment.”
Palliative care
“The overall enjoyment of life.” This is how the National Cancer Institute defines quality of life. But when you are a cancer patient and you are in pain, afraid, worried about your family and finances, or unable to do the things that make you happy, can you really enjoy life?
“When you’re an inpatient in the hospital, you’ve got a social worker visiting you every day, a discharge planner, a case manager. At home, some patients don’t have the kind of support they need. It becomes overwhelming, trying to navigate it all.”
“It’s so important to have conversations with patients when they do have a life-limiting illness. It is the only way to ensure that patients and their families are prepared and that their wishes regarding end-of-life care are honored.”
Cancer patients often experience pain, nausea, emotional distress, and other symptoms caused by the disease and/or the side effects of treatment. Their caregivers may become stressed and overwhelmed, too. When those issues grow beyond basic, expected side effects and are no longer under control, supportive and palliative care can help.