Palliative Care - Fairview Red Wing Medical Center

Palliative Care

A community based program

Introduction
The goal is to support seniors and their caregivers in living a healthy, safe and as independent as possible life int heir closing years.

If you or a family member are adjusting to a chronic, long-term or advanced illness, you may need help evaluating the many choices and decisions you will need to consider. Concerns can range from managing symptoms and emotional issues, to learning about available treatments and care choices, to planning for future health care needs. In the face of chronic and advanced illness, talking with loved ones can be difficult and emotionally charged, but these conversations are critical to preserving quality of life and supporting personal wishes.

Fairview Red Wing Health Services offers specialized palliative (comfort) care consultations to help you discuss and choose the options most appropriate for you and plan for the care you want before you need it. Consultants include a nurse practitioner, patient advocate, registered nurse, social worker and spiritual care provider with extensive experience providing palliative care services and advising people on their options, which may include:
• Advance care planning including health care directives (living will)
• Appropriate resources
• Pain management
• Planning for end-of-life care
• Symptom relief
• Treatments
Advance care planning allows you to plan future medical care in case you become unable to make your own decisions. Like financial planning, it is a continual process, rather than an isolated event. Identifying your wishes, writing them down and communicating them to loved ones will help prevent conflict in the future.

When you call for a palliative care consultation, we will arrange for an assessment at a time and place convenient for you and your family. This may be at our clinic, hospital, assisted living, nursing home or your own home. Additional sessions are arranged as needed, and take place over a period of weeks or months, depending upon need.

Who can benefit
Palliative Care Consultation is available to anyone who has a chronic or advanced illness, regardless of the stage, including:
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Lung disease
• Neurological disease
• Other serious disease

Call for a consultation
For more information or to arrange a palliative care consultation, call 651-267-5600. Whenever possible, insurance will be billed for the consultation service.