If you live with a serious illness, learn how to improve your quality of life

PLYMOUTH — If you have cancer, lung, heart or kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, or another serious illness, you should know about a medical team that can address your symptoms and stress.

The medical team is called palliative care and they’re available in a variety of medical settings. Pemi-Baker Community Health offers palliative care in your home, making it easy for you and your family members to ask questions and relay concerns. Their focus is on relieving the symptoms and stress of your illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. This is done by coordinating the patient’s care as well as providing support for the caregivers if they are experiencing caregiver burnout.

Pemi-Baker Community Health’s palliative care is provided by a specially trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with your other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in your illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.

Is Palliative Care right for you?

Answer the following questions to determine whether palliative care might be right for you or someone close to you. Remember, you can receive palliative care at any point in your illness.

1. Do you have one or more serious illnesses such as:

• Cancer

• Congestive heart failure (CHF)

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, lung disease

• Kidney failure

• Liver failure

• Neurological diseases (e.g., ALS, Parkinson’s)

• Dementia

2. Do you have symptoms that make it difficult to be as active as you would like to be, or impact your quality of life? These symptoms might include:

• Pain or discomfort

• Shortness of breath

• Fatigue

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Lack of appetite

• Nausea

• Constipation

3. Have you, or someone close to you, experienced the following:

• Difficult side effects from treatment

• Eating problems due to a serious illness

• Frequent emergency room visits

• Three or more admissions to the hospital within 12 months, and with the same symptoms

4. Do you, or someone close to you, need help with:

• Knowing what to expect

• Knowing what programs and resources are available

• Making medical decisions about treatment choices/options

• Matching your goals and values to your medical care

• Understanding the pros and cons (benefits/burdens) of treatments (e.g., dialysis, additional cancer treatments, surgery, etc.)

5. Do you, or someone close to you, need help with:

• Coping with the stress of a serious illness

• Emotional support

• Spiritual or religious support

• Talking with your family about your illness and what is important to you

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you can benefit from palliative care. Ask your doctor for a palliative care referral with Pemi-Baker Community Health. Once PBCH receives the referral from your doctor they will contact you via phone to answer and ask questions and set up a meeting with you at your home.

What happens at a first visit with a palliative care team?

The first step is for the palliative care team to get to know you as a person and find out who else is important in your care. They will want to hear your narrative – who you are, what you enjoy doing, and what is most important to you in your day-to-day life. They’ll review your medical information, ask what symptoms are of concern, and how much these affect your quality of life. They’ll ask questions to see if there are any care needs at home. They may also ask questions to learn what you know about your medical condition, and what concerns you about the future so they can plan how to help over time. The team will also ask questions about who you would want to help make decisions if you aren’t able to do so for yourself. This person is called a health care proxy.

For more information on how Pemi-Baker Community Health can help please call 603-536-2232 or email us at info@pbhha.org.