Palliative care services for greater peace of mind
Palliative care at Main Line Health is a service offered to seriously ill patients at our hospitals and in the community in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. At the request of the patient's physician, the palliative care team recommends pain and symptom management.
The palliative care team can assist patients and their loved ones with complex decision making, reduce physical and emotional suffering, and enhance quality of life. Palliative care home services can provide additional support at home.
Main Line Health palliative care services are offered to hospitalized patients at:
- Lankenau Medical Center (Wynnewood)
- Bryn Mawr Hospital
- Paoli Hospital
- Riddle Hospital (Media)
- Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital (Malvern)
Palliative care services are also available in the community through Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice.
Who can receive palliative care?
It is not necessary to have a terminal diagnosis to benefit from palliative care. Many patients may benefit from this service including patients:
- With pain or other symptoms that cause discomfort
- With complex, or chronic medical problems including but not limited to heart disease, dementia, Parkinson's disease, kidney failure, lung disease or cancer
- Who frequently use the emergency department or are often re-admitted to the hospital
- In an intensive care unit who need assistance evaluating next steps and goals of care
The service is also of tremendous value to families who need:
- Assistance communicating with the health care team
- Guidance with decision concerning advanced treatment options
- Support with end-of-life decisions
What services are offered through palliative care?
Palliative care can help patients and family members understand the complexity of a serious illness including:
- Managing pain and other symptoms
- Coping with new family issues that illness can bring
- Setting lifestyle goals if new physical limitations arise
- Finding support for the family and caregiver
- Reevaluating choices as an illness progresses
What are the benefits of palliative care?
- Ease patient and family concerns and distress
- Improve pain and symptom management
- Enhance communication with the health care team
- Enhance quality of life
- Help obtain community resources
- Coordinate spiritual needs and concerns
- Assist families in decision-making about life support
How can patients access palliative care services?
Please ask your physician to consult the palliative care team either in the hospital or the community.
Advance care planning for palliative care patients
Advance care planning is a process that helps define your goals and wishes as they relate to health care. It is sometimes called an advance directive, living will, personal directive, medical directive or advance decision. This important process can provide vital information to physicians, caregivers and loved ones if you are unable to communicate on your own behalf.
At Main Line Health we have developed a unique advance care planning process and downloadable resources to help you get started.
Find out more about advance care planning
Support our palliative care program
As a non-profit organization, Main Line Health depends on charitable support to help us provide the highest quality health care for the people in our community. Should you wish to make a tax-deductible contribution in support of palliative care, please visit our ways to give page, choose the hospital you would like to support and then select “palliative care” in the designation section.
Make a tax-deductible contribution in support of palliative care
