Download Palliative Care Partners

When and Where is Palliative
Care Provided?
Palliative Care Partners
Your path may be very difficult or confusing
when you have an advanced complex illness.
You may be seeing multiple doctors, taking
several medications, requiring frequent trips
to the hospital and needing more help from
family and friends. If this feels like the path
you are on, you may benefit from Palliative
Care Partners.
Palliative care is most effective and helpful
To learn more
when introduced early in the course of
If you or someone you know would like to
treatment, but patients at all stages of
learn more about Palliative Care Partners,
an illness can benefit from palliative care.
you can access our service by calling:
Patients can be seen and treated by our
(843) 606-7810 for hospital service.
palliative care team in three locations:
(843) 402-1211 for clinic or home services.
At your home – when appropriate, we
Your primary care doctor or specialist can
make house calls
refer you. Share this brochure with your
At our Supportive Care Clinic, located within
provider and ask if a referral is right for you.
the Roper St. Francis Cancer Center on the
campus of Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital
During a hospital stay at any Roper
St. Francis hospital
Palliative Care Partners
316 Calhoun Street
Charleston, SC 29401
www.rsfh.com/palliative
Care and support because every moment matters.
What is Palliative Care?
Our Team
Living with a serious illness can become difficult,
Roper St. Francis Palliative Care Partners
What to Expect from Palliative
Care Partners
especially over time when your body or mind
is a team of multiple professionals with
You can expect us to take time to get to
feels the cumulative stress of disease and
specialized experience in palliative medicine.
know you and your family. We are dedicated
coping. You and your family may have questions
Every patient’s care is customized for his/
to treating the whole patient, not just your
about your illness and the choices you must
her particular needs, so the team members
illness. We’ll find out what is most important
make. Palliative care offers specialized medical
may vary depending on the specific needs
to you and will help you work to achieve it.
care and extra support to help you deal with the
and setting of the patient and family. Our
Working with your doctor, we will provide:
complexities of chronic illness such as heart,
palliative care team works in cooperation with
Expert pain management
lung or kidney disease, dementia or cancer.
your doctor, and may include the following
Palliative care is not the same as hospice care.
professionals:
Hospice care, by definition, is end of life care,
Physicians, Board Certified in Palliative
but palliative care is appropriate at any stage
Medicine
in illness and, unlike hospice care, can be
Nurse Practitioners
provided along with curative treatment. The
goal of palliative care is to provide the best
Registered Nurses
quality of life for patients by ensuring their
Social Workers
comfort and dignity.
Palliative care focuses on the whole person
and includes expert medical care, pain and
symptom management, as well as emotional
and spiritual support tailored to the patient’s
needs and wishes.
Complex symptom management (breathing
difficulties, nausea, depression, anxiety,
constipation, diarrhea, insomnia, fatigue, etc.)
Assistance with medical decision-making
based on your priorities and values
Emotional and spiritual support
Coordination of care between hospital
Chaplains
home and doctor’s office
Other professionals such as pharmacists,
Referrals to community resources including
therapists, dietitians, case managers, patient
home care, rehabilitation therapies and
representatives and volunteers may also work
hospice care
with the team.
Assistance with advance care planning such
as an Advance Directive
www.rsfh.com/palliative