What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is a medical specialty that helps people of any age who are coping with serious or chronic illnesses. It is appropriate at any point in an illness and can be delivered along with curative treatments. Palliative care can be helpful to those experiencing various symptoms, including but not limited to:
- - pain
- - shortness of breath
- - difficulty sleeping
- - fatigue
- - loss of appetite
- - nausea
Our goal is to help you:
- - control your pain and symptoms
- - gain the strength to carry on with daily life
- - improve your ability to tolerate medical treatments
- - reduce emergency room visits
- - better understand your choices for medical care.
A key benefit of the palliative care provided by Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois is that out staff helps coordinate your care and opinions from multiple physicians to help you feel better.
Simply stated, patient comfort is the main objective of palliative care. Another goal is support for the family and caregivers. Our team of professionals is available to assist patients and their families to better understand and make medical decisions and select treatment options consistent with their desired goals. Our collaboration with your existing team of health care providers ensures that each person in the circle of care is receiving reliable information.
Who benefits from Palliative Care?
Anyone who has experienced uncontrolled symptoms related to surgery or chronic illnesses, including:
- MS
- Cancer
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Kidney Illness
- Stroke
- ALS
- COPD
- Dementia/Alzheimer's
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
- Parkinson's Disease
- Surgery
We Come to You!
Remember when doctors made house calls? Well, we still do! Palliative care can be provided in your home, senior living or long-term care community or hospital.
Our Palliative Care Team includes:
- Board-certified physicians specializing in palliative care
- Advance Practice Nurse certified in palliative care
- Trained patient care volunteers
- Social service specialists, including social workers and chaplains.
Dr. Paola Molina, Associate Medical Director
Dr. Molina is contracted to join our agency later this summer after completing her Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As the NIH’s only Fellow in Palliative Medicine, we are excited by her desire to become one of our full-time clinicians. She has routinely and effectively managed among the most complicated medical cases in our country with other medical colleagues seeking out her expertise. Prior to utilizing her dual citizenship for post-graduate medical education, Dr. Molina was a practicing hospice physician in Columbia. She looks forward to participating in our nationally recognized Latino Outreach Program.
Ms. Barb Sutton, APN, CAHPN,
Palliative Care Advance Practice Nurse
Ms. Sutton has focused her career from being a post-operative specialist and expert in home health care to exclusively providing palliative medicine. She maintains certification from the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses. Her special skills and remarkable services led to her 2004 Life Service Network Shining Star Award for the Chicagoland area. She has directed a team of more than seven Advance Practice Nurses and three physicians in caring for homebound adults afflicted with acute or chronic illnesses. Throughout her career, Ms. Sutton has developed relationships with community clinicians who value her collaborative and educational support. Moreover, she enthusiastically provides inpatient, facility and office learning opportunities throughout the region.
How can you access Palliative Care...
JUST CALL!
For information, call 1-800-425-4444.
Palliative Care brochure
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