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Palliative care is specialized care that focuses on treating the
pain, symptoms and stress that can accompany chronic and terminal
illness. The goal is not to cure, but to provide comfort and maintain
the highest possible quality of life for as long as life remains.
It is designed to support any other treatment patients receive by
helping them live comfortably throughout their illness, as well
as emotional, social and spiritual services.
Palliative care programs focus on the relief of pain and suffering
for people facing chronic or life-limiting illness, and through
the Palliative Care and Pain Program, Monmouth Medical Center is
committed to providing the best possible care to these patients.
The Palliative Care and Pain Program at Monmouth Medical Center
focuses on providing medical, emotional and spiritual care to patients
with cancer and other serious illnesses and their families — both
in the inpatient and outpatient setting.
The program is under the direction of fellowship-trained geriatrician
Jessica L. Israel, M.D., who specializes in palliative care medicine
and serves as chief of Palliative Care and Pain. She plays an integral
leadership role in the ongoing development of the Palliative Care
and Pain Program, whose goal is to help people faced with chronic
and advanced illnesses decide how to approach this stage in their
lives. It places a major emphasis on symptom management, including
relief from pain, anxiety, depression or any other distresses at
this most difficult time.
The mission of the Palliative Care and Pain Program is to assure
that each patient’s symptoms are managed as well as possible,
providing optimal comfort and function. To achieve this, program
staff works as a team with other health care professionals to provide
pain relief through traditional and non-traditional approaches.
Our team consists of a specialized physician and nurse practitioner
who work with you to manage symptoms such as pain, delirium, fatigue,
insomnia, depression and anxiety due to illness. Depending on the
patient’s needs, the program provides symptom control, pain
management, emotional and spiritual support, psychological and social
help, bereavement counseling and end-of-life planning for patients
and their family members.
The Palliative Care and Pain Program at Monmouth Medical Center
offers a host of clinical services, both in the inpatient and outpatient
setting, including:
Inpatient Consultation: Any hospital patient can receive a pain
and palliative care consultation and follow-up care. This service
can be initiated by nursing, case management, social work, patient/family
request or attending physician.
Outpatient Visits: Patients can be referred from their community
physicians or self-referred or are followed in the outpatient clinic
after hospital discharge, with arrangements made by the palliative
care team.
Home Visits: Patients unable to come to the hospital for follow-up,
whom are not under the care of a hospice service, may receive a
home visit. For patients who transition to hospice, the Palliative
Care Program staff continues to follow them in their homes with
their hospice team.
Patients or their family members can make a request to consult
with the palliative care team, and a team member will visit within
24 hours of a request. After the consultation, the program staff
will work with the patient’s primary doctor to make suggestions
for care. The palliative care team visit referred patients daily
until they are discharged from the hospital.
To schedule a consultation or to learn more about the Pain and
Palliative Care Program, call 732-923-7962.
When is palliative care needed?
Palliative care can help a patient at any stage of a potential life-limiting
illness. It is best introduced early in the plan of care, but can
be received at any time. Patients may need care if suffering from
symptoms that are hard to treat, such as pain, or if they need
help understanding treatment choices or support making difficult
medical decisions.
Is palliative care and hospice the same thing?
No, palliative care is offered at any stage of an advanced or life-limiting
illness, while hospice care is appropriate for people with terminal
illness during the last stages of life.
Must other treatment be stopped in order to receive palliative
care?
No, palliative care is designed to help support patients that are
already receiving treatment for their illness.
Is palliative care covered by insurance?
Palliative care is covered by most insurance plans.
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