Palliative Care

When you or your loved one is seriously ill, look to the palliative care team at AnMed for compassionate, supportive care to enhance your quality of life.

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What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is specialized medical and supportive care. It helps people manage serious, advanced and complex illnesses and get relief from pain and other symptoms.

Palliative Care vs. Hospice Care

Sometimes palliative care is confused with hospice care. When treatments are unsuccessful, hospice care is for people with an advanced, life-limiting illness. It focuses on comfort and managing symptoms until the end of life.

AnMed provides palliative care services at the hospital and does not do home visits or hospice care. Our team can answer questions and make a referral to hospice care.

Ask for a Consult

Talk to your doctor about a hospital palliative care consult if you or a loved one has a serious illness and want treatment and pain and symptom relief. For more information, call 864-512-1826 or 864-512-2275.

Whole-Person, Supportive Care

A board-certified doctor leads the palliative care team at AnMed and works with other medical professionals and specially trained support staff to provide patient-centered care. You’ll benefit from whole-person care which means we use multiple resources to deliver care that nurtures the mind, body and spirit.

Palliative Care Services & Treatments

Access a broad range of care for your loved one through palliative care. Your team can help you and your family caregivers:

  • Arrange for care at home or another setting
  • Clarify the course of a life-threatening illness
  • Complete advance directives and care planning forms
  • Consider care options and make decisions about tests, treatments, surgeries and medicines
  • Manage pain and other non-pain symptoms such as nausea, anxiety and shortness of breath
  • Receive emotional and spiritual care
  • Talk about making medical care decisions that align with your values, goals and treatment preferences

What to Expect

Your provider will review your medical chart at your consultation, including previous advanced care directives. Then your provider will talk to you and the person you chose to make decisions for you when you cannot (usually a close family caregiver) about:

  • Code status – Informs your medical team about what medical care you want and do not want in a medical emergency
  • Goals of care – Helps you reach goals concerning treatment preferences or limits
  • Symptom management
  • Upcoming health care decisions

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Ask and talk to your doctor about the following:

  • What is wrong with me?
  • Can it be cured? Can it be treated? What type of care do I need?
  • How will this condition affect my quality of life?
  • What are the goals of the treatment plan?
  • What are the risks and benefits of the therapy and medicines?
  • Is my loved one in any pain? What can be done to ease pain and fear?
  • How will my loved one be fed, and what are the risks of not getting proper nutrition?
  • How can our values/faith be part of treatment decisions?
  • Do you have any caregiver support resources available?