WHAT IS NORTHSTAR PALLIATIVE CARE?
Support from NorthStar Palliative Care helps you and your family cope with the many burdens of a serious illness.
The goal of NorthStar Palliative Care is to provide relief from the pain and symptoms of a potentially life-limiting illness, while addressing the psychological, emotional, and spiritual suffering that you and your family may experience.
AN EXTRA LAYER OF SUPPORT, WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST
NorthStar Palliative Care is available for adults facing serious illness who may be struggling with healthcare decisions and distressing symptoms. The expert team at NorthStar Palliative Care works with the patient, their caregivers, and their physicians to relieve pain and other symptoms.
Specially-trained doctors, nurse practitioners and other professionals on the care team take a holistic approach, providing and coordinating care that supports the whole person physically, emotionally, and spiritually to address pain and other symptoms, which includes:
- In home assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for distressing symptoms that may be interfering with life, including relief from the side effects of curative treatments. Symptoms addressed may include shortness of breath, fatigue, constipation, nausea, loss of appetite, and problems with sleep.
- Prescribing medications, when needed.
- Discussing and documenting the wishes, goals and concerns of the patient and family.
- Exploring cultural and religious beliefs that impact care and treatment decisions.
- Helping patients and their families gain a greater understanding of the illness, anticipate future needs and coordinate treatments with other healthcare providers as needs change.
- Supporting family members who are coping with changes in the patient’s condition.
- Improving the patient’s quality of life and ability to participate in activities.
- Reducing unwanted and potentially painful interventions, such as visits to the Emergency Room.
The Advantages of NorthStar Palliative Care:
- Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing challenges associated with life-threatening illness, whether physical, psychological, social, or spiritual. The quality of life of caregivers improves as well.
- Palliative care has been shown to prolong life and improve prognosis in patients with certain conditions.
- Palliative care involves a range of services delivered by professionals who all have equally important roles to play – including physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and nurse navigators––in support of the patient and their family.
- Palliative care is most effective when considered early in the course of the illness.
- Early palliative care not only improves quality of life for patients but also reduces unnecessary hospitalizations and use of health-care services.
