The goal of the Palliative Care Team is to offer support and comfort for individuals and families living with chronic or life threatening illnesses.
Palliative Care Referral Pager (415) 831-4836

• What is palliative care?
• What does palliative care really mean?
• What types of patients benefit from palliative care?
• What does symptom management mean?
• What is a palliative care team?
• What will this team do?
• When is palliative care available?

What is palliative care?

• Palliation means relief of symptoms, easing pain and offering support.
• Palliative care helps patients and families find help in their community when they need it.
• Palliative care strives to relieve suffering, which improves how patients feel every day.
• Support for a comfortable and well supported dying process.

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What does palliative care really mean?

• Treatment of pain and relief of other unpleasant symptoms.
• Support when you worry, feel anxious or depressed and lose hope.
• Greater understanding about the patient’s medical care plan.
• Connection with other people involved in the care of a loved one.
• Support that continues for you and your family during times of illness, change and loss.

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What types of patients benefit from palliative care?

Patients and families living with:

• Cancer
• Chronic lung disease/Emphysema
• Heart disease/heart failure
• Chronic kidney disease
• Stroke
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Other advanced illness, e.g., HIV/AIDS

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What does symptom management mean?

• Symptoms are unpleasant physical sensations or feelings.
• These symptoms may include pain, anxiety, insomnia, depression, shortness of breath, fatigue/weakness, headache, constipation, vomiting, nausea or loss of appetite.
• Palliative care takes an active approach to control symptoms so you are comfortable.

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What is a palliative care team?

The palliative care team is a partnership between the patient, family members, friends, and other people that may include:

• Your personal physician
• Hospital and visiting nurses
• Palliative Care physicians
• Palliative Care nurses
• Pharmacists
• Social Workers
• Chaplains
• Others as needed, e.g., physical therapists

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What will this team do?

• Provide physical, emotional and spiritual care that honors and respects your wishes.
• Provide information about your medications.
• Help you understand why it is so important to tell your doctors about your wishes regarding health care decisions that could affect your future care should you no longer be able to speak for yourself.
• Support patients or family members when they are worried about:
  • Becoming a burden
  • Loneliness and isolation
  • Feeling like things are out of control
  • Fear of dying

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When is palliative care available?

• When you first become ill with a life threatening disease.
• When you are receiving treatment.
• After many months or years of struggling with a chronic disease.
• At the end of life.
• When you are grieving and experiencing loss.

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