Palliative Care

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care is a team-based form of medical care for people living with a serious illness. It provides relief from the symptoms of the illness and the stress associated with it. The palliative care team works to maximize the patient’s quality of life – and the quality of life of the patient’s family – as they strive to cope with the disease process.

St. Mary's Palliative Care Program

Medical procedures are vital, but at St. Mary’s, they are one part of the whole. Our aim is to care for the whole person, body, mind and spirit. Our Palliative Care Program affirms life by working in line with the patient and their family’s goals for the future, including their hopes for a cure or prolonging life, as well as hopes for peace and dignity throughout the course of an illness.

With programs for patients in the hospital or at home, our staff provides a full continuum of holistic care to relieve suffering and optimize the quality of life for patients with a chronic, debilitating, or life-limiting illness.

St. Mary’s Palliative Care Program is accessible to patients across Northeast Georgia. Care is provided by a team of expert specialists, led by a physician, that includes nurse practitioners, social workers, and chaplains. Services aim to provide relief from the symptoms and stresses of illness and to improve the patient’s quality of life by focusing on the things that are most important to the patient and their family.

Care is tailored to the needs of the individual patient and their family. Care plans may consist of:

“In the care of the sick, great tenderness in all things.”

Sister Catherine McAuley Founder of the Sisters of Mercy

• Working with the doctors and nurses to alleviate symptoms, including side effects of treatment
• Gaining a deeper understanding of the illness and its progression
• Working with chaplain services for spiritual needs and coping with stressors and feelings related to the illness
• Working with the social worker for resources and support
• Assistance with Advance Directives

St. Mary’s Palliative Care can be an option for many patients with a variety of serious conditions. Examples include:

• ALS
• Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Cancer
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
• COVID-19
• HIV/AIDS
• Parkinson’s Disease

There are many benefits to palliative care, including:

• Symptom management
• Improved quality of life
• Support in making decisions
• Support for the patient and their family
• Reduced risk of depression

St. Mary’s Hospital-based Palliative Care Program

While someone is a patient in the hospital, the patient’s doctor may find that palliative care would be appropriate to assist the patient with their illness. Once referred, our care team can work with the doctor to provide much-needed services to assist the patient and their family with their long-term illness.

St. Mary’s Home-based Palliative Care Program

The home-based palliative care program provides an extra layer of support for patients and families in their homes. Members of the team make regular home visits and provide other services to monitor progression of the condition, control symptoms and side effects, provide care, and assist with physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

St. Mary’s home-based palliative care is available in the following counties:

Learn more about Advance Directives, which are written instructions regarding your medical care preferences, at the Patient Information page.