Palliative Care

Palliative care for cancer

Palliative care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is a medical sub-specialty. It focuses on relief of the pain, symptoms, and stress of a serious illness, especially cancer. Not all hospitals provide it, and it’s a little different everywhere you go. The overall goal is to help people live comfortably—physically and emotionally—and provide the best quality of life for patients and their families.

Harrison’s compassionate palliative services

The word palliative comes from Latin and means blanket. You can think of Harrison’s palliative care as a warm, comforting blanket during a difficult journey called cancer.

Our kindness is active. We don’t just talk about it—you can feel it.

At Harrison, you’re welcome to our services at any stage of your cancer. We know you have many concerns along the way. We focus on the whole person and the family, not just the disease.

Palliative services include help with

• Decision-making
• Pain and symptom control
• Depression and fatigue
• Coordinating your care
• Easing family stress
• Communication
• Navigating the health system
• Understanding treatment choices

When you’re ready, you can talk with us about difficult topics and your most intimate concerns. Sometimes we’re the only ones you can talk to about cancer. You’ll have our full attention.

Differences between palliative and hospice care

Sometimes it’s confusing to know the difference between palliative care and hospice. They’re not the same. Palliative care is available at any stage of your illness. It can even start when your doctors first diagnose you. It’s true that hospice care always offers palliative care. The difference is that hospice mainly focuses on people who no longer seek treatments to cure them.

Services available to you

A palliative care consult is available to all patients admitted to Harrison Medical Center. While any patient can suggest a palliative care consult, an attending physician must write an order requesting the service.

Our Palliative Care Services team coordinates with a patient’s existing medical team, but does not replace the primary provider. Our palliative care doctors include those board certified in palliative care, hospice, and family medicine.

The Harrison team

The team excels at communication between you, your family, and your doctors. And we don’t rush you. We want to make sure we meet your needs. Our team has many years of experience in palliative care plus training in managing cancer symptoms. You’ll find the team passionate about:

• Patient advocacy
• Spending time with you and your loved ones
• Doing what it takes to help make life better for you

Nancy Lorber, RN, OCN
Coordinator, Palliative Care Services

"We want to support patients and their families who are facing serious illness. Our goal is to address the needs of the whole person: their physical comfort, their emotional and spiritual well-being, and their dignity."

Learn more about Harrison's Palliative Care Services at 360-744-5618 or palliativecare@harrisonmedical.org.

Click here to read our brochure.