Palliative Care is a medical specialty that helps patients and their families live as well and as fully as possible when faced with a life-threatening illness.
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Areas of Palliative Care expertise include pain management and symptom control (e.g., treatment of fatigue or nausea); psychosocial and spiritual support for the patient and family, including young children; help with clarifying the goals of care and making decisions about treatment; and assuring good care outside the hospital. The team is made up of specially trained physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains and volunteers who provide care and support that enhances quality of life in the hospital, the patient's home, or in other settings such as a rehabilitation center.
In coordination with the primary care physician or specialists, we serve patients who are receiving curative or life-prolonging treatments at the earliest phases of a life-threatening condition, as well as those who are living with a serious chronic illness or dealing with advanced stages of disease.
Many people believe medical professionals can no longer help at this stage of illness, but even when treatment to cure or control the illness has reached its limit, the Palliative Care Service can still help to assure comfort and provide support to patients and families.
Visit the Massachusetts General Hospital Palliative Care website
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