Palliative care is a specialized approach to supporting patients with life-threatening illnesses, focusing on providing comfort, improving quality of life, and offering psychosocial support.

Hope & Cope is part of an interdisciplinary team working together to deliver compassionate, whole-person care to patients and their loved ones.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is often misunderstood as being solely for end-of-life situations. In fact, many patients receive palliative care alongside other treatments. Some even return home or transition to long-term care facilities after their symptoms are stabilized.

Rifka Hanfling, Hope & Cope’s Palliative Care and Bereavement Program Coordinator, oversees palliative care support services and how they make a difference in patients’ lives.

As she explains, “Palliative care actually begins much, much earlier. It begins at the treatment level. The earlier palliative care is begun, the more successful it’s going to be.”

While other medical care may focus primarily on treating the disease, palliative care prioritizes relieving pain and enhancing quality of life. The interdisciplinary team works together to meet patients’ physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs.

The goal of palliative care is to help patients maintain the best possible quality of life while providing necessary support to them and their loved ones. This involves:

• Reducing pain and managing symptoms
• Addressing emotional, social, and spiritual needs
• Supporting patients through their treatment journey
• Providing comfort and care at the end of life

The medical team manages the pain and the symptoms. The staff and volunteers at Hope & Cope help with the psychosocial aspects.

“With palliative care, the focus is on relieving pain, but it’s also focused on the whole person approach,” Rifka says. “What can we do to make the quality of life of this person at this stage the best possible?”

When to consider palliative care

Many people think that palliative care is only end-of-life care, but this is a misconception. Patients can benefit from palliative care at any stage of a serious illness. The decision to start palliative care is made by the patient and their medical team.

“The doctors will introduce and explain palliative care to an outpatient who is receiving treatment,” explains Rifka. “The ones who are already an inpatient or already at end of life will be referred to the palliative care unit.”

Supporting patients and families

Palliative care services at Hope & Cope do not involve medical treatments. The staff and volunteers complement the medical team by providing:

• Emotional and spiritual support for family and caregivers
• Help with practical matters
• Facilitating communication between patients, families, and healthcare providers
• Assistance with end-of-life preparations
• Celebrating special occasions and fulfilling final wishes

“We’re very involved with the family members,” Rifka emphasizes. “By offering a comforting environment, emotional support, and practical assistance, Hope & Cope aims to make this challenging time a little easier.”

Hope & Cope’s palliative care services

Hope & Cope provides a wide range of complementary therapies and programs to support patients’ well-being:

• Foot and hand massage for relaxation
• Pet therapy with certified therapy dogs
• Virtual reality experiences to reduce anxiety and provide enjoyment
• Holiday celebrations and gift-giving to boost spirits
• Anticipatory grief support so families can understand what’s coming
• And more personalized support as needed

These services are tailored to each patient’s needs and preferences to bring comfort, meaning, and memorable moments.

Furthermore, the palliative care medical team offers art therapy for emotional expression and legacy building and music therapy to process emotions and create memories.

Accessing palliative care support

Patients and families can access Hope & Cope’s palliative care services in several ways:

• Referral by the medical team
• Requests from patients or family members
• Daily visits and check-ins from the palliative care team

Roughly 90% of patients in the palliative care unit receive some form of support from Hope & Cope. The team is dedicated to reaching every patient and providing the personalized care they need.

For Rifka, the most rewarding aspect of palliative care is the profound connections formed with patients and their families. “As much as we give them, we get from them,” she reflects. “We learn so much from them and from their family members.”

To learn more about accessing palliative care support services at Hope & Cope please contact Rifka.