The Growing NCH Palliative Care Team Offers End of Life Planning for Patients, Family Members and Caregivers
Palliative care is not only about death and dying. This is a concept that NCH Palliative Care physician Ryan Nicole Perdzock, MD, wants the community to understand. “We aim to offer an improved quality of life, helping patients to live better, by being realistic about how to make the best experience with the time they have left and to help patients in the community improve their experience,” says Dr. Perdzock, who was trained in palliative care at the
decisions they are required to make. Palliative care can assist in having these discussions and in making informed medical decisions. “I am sensitive to the fear in some patients who do not want to die in a hospital,” explains Dr. Perdzock. “They want to be at home, kept comfortable and be with their family. When medicine cannot offer any further interventions to make the disease better, we then have to focus on symptoms.” If patients do not qualify for hospice services, they can opt for outpatient palliative care. This allows patients to stay at home while seeing their regular physician during scheduled office visits. Extra palliative services are then available on an outpatient basis either at the NCH clinic or at community-based outpatient palliative care services. • Patients with any type of chronic or complex medical illness • Kidney disease and dialysis patients • Curable and non-curable cancer, including metastatic cancer patients • Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy to help symptom control • Patients with dementia and advanced neurologic diseases • Patients with congestive heart failure • Patients with end-stage COPD NCH Palliative Care Program: • Assists patients and family in sound medical decision-making • Can extend lives by treatment and management of symptoms • Helps to decrease limited mobility that hinders ability to get treatment • Assists family members in the difficult end-of-life planning discussions • Offers spiritual guidance and counseling • Improves quality of life, helping patients to live better Those who would benefit from palliative care include:
Dr. Perdzock
Mayo Clinic. “For family and caregivers, palliative care facilitates the difficult conversation about end-of-life planning, while their loved one is still able to communicate their wishes.” Patients with chronic illnesses like congestive heart failure, COPD, kidney failure, dementia or cancer often suffer with symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting or constipation due to pain medications. Frequently, they are also immobile and / or nutritionally challenged. “We have an outpatient clinic and are available for consultations in the hospital,” says Dr. Perdzock. “We can assist with symptom management, goals of care and other discussions with which patients and family struggle.” NCH’s interdisciplinary Palliative Care team consists of three physicians and nurse practitioners who address medical issues, and a social worker and chaplain who address stress management, emotional suffering, anxiety, pain and depression. Working together, these professionals consider the whole person in a comprehensive approach to providing the best possible life experience for their patients. Many times, the family has not had advanced planning discussions with their loved one and do not understand the impact of the medical
For more information, contact the NCH Palliative Care team at (239) 624-8490
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