Palliative Care

Improving the quality of life for patients and their families.

OrigamiDove_Purple.png

When faced with serious illness, the palliative care team is here to support and guide you.

  • Symptom management to help improve quality of life
  • Collaboration with an individual’s primary physician and specialists to help minimize emergency room visits and hospitalizations
  • 24/7 on-call nurse support to answer questions and coordinate care
  • Ongoing education about the disease
  • Emotional support and strategies to help reduce stress
  • Assistance navigating the medical system
  • Linkage to community resources
  • Development of goals of care, based on the patient’s preferences
  • Assistance with advance care planning

Our palliative care team can address these issues to reduce stress and to help improve the quality of life for our patients and families. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any point during a serious illness, and can be provided at the same time as curative treatment.

tree-goal.svg
The goal of palliative care is to improve quality of life for patients and their families
time.svg
Appropriate at any point of a serious illness, and can be provided at the same time as curative treatment
patients-served.svg
Addresses physical symptoms of illness, and social and emotional stresses individuals and their loved ones experience

The Home Connections team, our home-based palliative care program, includes:

  • Patient
  • Patient’s physicians (all medical providers remain involved in care)
  • Nurse practitioner trained in palliative care
  • Registered nurse
  • Social worker
  • Volunteers
  • Palliative care physician

Home Connections provides an extra layer of expert care, support, and guidance.

If you or a loved one is impacted with the challenges of serious illness, you should seek out assistance and resources. In addition to asking your physician about support and care options, be sure to call us.

It is never too early to ask questions about palliative care. Anyone can contact us directly online or at 716-686-8077 for more information.

Get in touch

Palliative care can begin at any stage of an illness. If managing illness has become difficult for you, we recommend you seek professional help. The earlier palliative care experts are involved in your care, the better. In addition to addressing the physical symptoms caused by disease and treatment side-effects, our team can also address the anxiety, depression, stress and decision-making challenges experienced by patients and loved ones throughout the course of an illness.

Call if you or a loved is struggling with:

  • Frequent emergency room visits
  • More than one hospitalization in the last 30 days
  • A serious illness or chronic progressive disease
  • Symptoms that have been difficult to manage

Common illnesses that are managed by palliative care experts include:

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Congestive heart failure (CHF)
  • Cancer
  • Neurological diseases such as Dementia, Parkinson’s or ALS
  • Kidney disease
  • Any serious illness affecting quality of life

Palliative care specializes in managing symptoms such as:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Insomnia
  • Anxiety
  • Agitation
  • Declining functional status
  • Pain
  • Any other symptoms associated with serious illness or treatment side effects

Both palliative care and hospice care focus on helping to manage symptoms and improve quality of life, but hospice can only begin when it is felt that the individual has a prognosis of six months or less and curative treatment of the disease has stopped; palliative care can begin much earlier, even at the time of diagnosis and while receiving treatment. If you have questions about palliative care or hospice, get in touch or call the experts for assistance at 716-686-8077. We are here to help.

Learn more

Individuals faced with serious illness living in a private residence, an assisted living community or a group home may be eligible for Home Connections, our home-based palliative care service.

Home Connections, our home-based palliative care service, is covered by many of the Highmark of Western New York (BlueCross BlueShield) and Independent Health plans. Eligibility will be determined upon receipt of a referral. Individuals may also self-pay to receive home-based palliative care. Please call our office at 716-686-8077 to learn more.

Anyone can refer someone to palliative care, whether it’s the patient, a family member, loved one, caregiver, physician or healthcare provider.

If you have questions about palliative care, get in touch and call the experts for assistance at 716-686-8077. If you are a healthcare provider, you can refer a patient here.

Myths vs. facts about palliative care

Swipe cards left and right to learn more

Myth

Palliative care is for people who are at the end of their lives.

Fact

Palliative care should be integrated early on in the disease process while treatments are still being offered. The goal is to maximize quality of life and to minimize symptoms and suffering.

Myth

Palliative care is the same as hospice care.

Fact

Both palliative care and hospice care provide comfort and symptom management expertise to address quality of life for the patient, and support for loved ones and caregivers. Hospice care requires a life-limiting prognosis after curative treatment of the disease has stopped. Palliative care support can begin at any point of an illness and patients can be pursuing treatment.

Myth

You cannot keep your own doctors if you enroll in a palliative care program.

Fact

All of the patient’s physicians and medical providers remain involved. Palliative care providers are specially trained consultants that work with your other providers to collaborate in the management of your symptoms and care coordination.
quote
"My nurse and social worker are like family…they care, they listen, and I can count on them when I have questions or concerns. I have congestive heart failure, a pacemaker and diabetes, so I need help to make sure I am doing all that I can to manage my illness. They help me understand what to expect, and they coordinate my care with my primary care physician. Home Connections is a great program, and I would recommend it to anyone with serious illness."
– Anna Belluz
OrigamiDove_Blue.png

Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo is here to help you navigate the challenges of serious illness. Call us today at 716-686-8077 or get in touch right online. We have experts and resources to help guide you.