Patients undergoing treatment for life-threatening illnesses experience many physical and emotional symptoms.
Palliative care provides supportive symptom management for patients who are experiencing a serious illness. The goal of palliative care is to minimize (palliate) symptoms related to the disease or side-effects from treatments.
The palliative care nurse works closely with your physician to focus on your care and comfort, and to address needs that arise while you are receiving care at Lake Health/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center. In addition, palliative care can offer support for family and caregivers.
Services provided by palliative care include:
- Pain/symptom management
- Care coordination
- Emotional support
- Family/caregiver support
- Referrals to outside services
You can request a referral from your physician to initiate services.
For more information, please call Carol Matthews, our advanced practice nurse who is nationally certified in palliative care. She can be reached in our Mentor offices at (440) 205-5760.