We can’t change the diagnosis but we can make living with it a little easier. Just coping with a progressive life-limiting illness can be overwhelming. There are medical options to consider, changes taking place in your loved one's life, and community services you may not be aware of that could be of help. You may feel your energy is drained, and you can’t even manage the most routine tasks.

Hospice & Palliative Care of Washington County’s Palliative Care Program can help. While not intended for the management of long-term chronic illnesses, Transitions provides ongoing support through an interdisciplinary team of clinical and professional providers.

Funded through community contributions, Transitions/Palliative Care is operated as a separate program from Hospice. As a free community support program, it is offered to those who have been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness, but are still seeking curative treatment. Using a combination of active and compassionate therapies the program's goal is to prevent or treat the symptoms of the illness and the side effects caused by treatment challenges. This includes addressing psychological, social and spiritual challenges related to the illness or treatment.

In the comfort of your own home, no matter where that may be, the program provides a network of clinical professionals and volunteers for those not physically or psychologically ready for Hospice. A Team coordinator will meet with the client and family to identify and engage avenues of support. Connections are then made with available community or our available resources.

palliative care interdisciplinary team members

• Patient’s Primary Physician
• Consulting Palliative Care Physician
• Social Worker-Team Coordinator
• Visiting Palliative Care Nurse
• Personal Care and Bathing Aide
• Transition Trained Volunteers
• Palliative Care Spiritual Counselor

statewide Palliative Care Conference

Hospice & Palliative Care of Washington County and the Center for Ethics in Health Care present:

2010 Statewide Palliative Care Conference
June 11, 2010

For the seventh consecutive year the Oregon Statewide Palliative Care Conference will bring together hospice and palliative care leaders to foster collaboration, community and promote best practices. Featuring experts from the fields of medicine, nursing, social work, psychology and chaplaincy this year’s conference includes a broad array of offerings such as quality improvement, palliative care research and pain management.

learn More: (PDF)

palliative care services include

• pain and symptom management
• emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual support
• education about an illness
• strategies for coping with side-effects
• advance care planning
• clarification of personal and family goals
• guidance with complex decision-making
• referrals to community based resources
• bathing and personal care
• volunteers for caregiver respite, transportation, household help
• bereavement follow-up post-death provided to families when members die while enrolled in the program
  
  
  
  

who is eligible for palliative care

To be eligible a client must be diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and have a prognosis of about one year.

Make the Call!
Anyone, including a patient, can refer to our Palliative Care program. You can be receiving curative treatments, be referred immediately after treatments (such as chemotherapy, radiation, dialysis) or during comfort care treatments for pain management.

For more information or to speak with a care specialist, call (503) 648-9565 or e-mail us at info@hospicewc.org.