Palliative care

Being diagnosed with a serious or chronic illness can be a life-altering time for you and your family. You may be overwhelmed or worried about burdening your family or someone else with big decisions.

Aurora’s Health Care’s palliative care team works with you, your family and your care team to provide an extra layer of support and help you manage symptoms, avoid hospital visits and set goals for your treatment. Palliative care can be provided in the hospital, at an outpatient clinic or nursing facility, or in the comfort of your home.

Why choose palliative care

Palliative care is specialized medical care aimed at providing relief and addressing your needs while living with serious or chronic illness. Unlike hospice care, which typically begins when treatments have stopped working, palliative care may be provided at the same time as treatment for your illness.

Palliative care may be offered to anyone with a life-threatening or serious illness. It can be considered at any point after diagnosis. It's especially beneficial if you’re experiencing new symptoms, have needed frequent visits with your doctor or have made several trips to the emergency department.

Who can benefit from palliative care?

If you’re having trouble coping with symptoms or understanding treatments for your chronic illness, Aurora Health Care’s Palliative Care Program may be an option for you. Our care team supports a variety of different illnesses after diagnosis, including:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Alzheimer’s and dementia
• Heart failure
• Kidney failure
• Liver disease
• Cancer
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Stroke

Our palliative care team is here for you

The palliative care team helps you understand your treatment options, guides your care coordination and shares information on complex issues such as selecting who makes medical decisions on your behalf.

Whether discussing difficult treatment options or planning future goals for your medical care, count on us to be by your side at each step.

Our care team may consist of a board-certified palliative medicine physician, an advanced practice clinician, a registered nurse, a social worker and a chaplain.

Our palliative care team will:

• Help you understand your illness and choices for care
• Work with your care team and facilitate communication with all involved
• Help create a care plan based on your individual needs and goals
• Help with relief from symptoms such as pain, stress, shortness of breath and nausea
• Listen to your concerns and take the time to help you understand treatment and your illness
• Help you navigate the health care system
• Connect you to other resources

If you or your family members would like to know more about Aurora Health Care’s Palliative Care Program, please contact our team at 414-416-8832.

The difference between palliative care and hospice care

Palliative care can last as long as you need help managing your symptoms and you meet the criteria of your insurance coverage. Unlike hospice care, palliative care may be provided at the same time as treatment for your illness.

Palliative care and hospice care focus on improving the quality of life for individuals with serious illnesses, but there are a few differences in goals, timing and scope of services.