Palliative Care is for Anyone with a Serious Illness, No Matter the Long-Term Outlook

Palliative care: Older woman, smiling, being pushed down hallway in wheelchair by smiling female caregiver

Mayo Clinic Q&A DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What’s the difference between palliative care and hospice care? ANSWER: People often confuse palliative care and hospice care, thinking they are the same thing. But they’re not. Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for anyone who has a serious illness. Hospice care is a form of palliative […]

POLST Orders Help Patients Advocate for Their End-of-Life Care

My grandfather did not want to die. From hospital to home, back to hospital and finally to hospice, he angrily fought against the realities of the cancer that would eventually end his life. Many years before his battle with cancer, I remember sitting in the car with him, discussing assisted deaths. I was home for […]

Videos can help you make end-of-life care choices

elderly hand holding young hand

By Christopher J. Gearon, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report Physicians are often uncomfortable discussing end-of-life care options with terminally ill patients. Even when doctors raise the issue, they may gloss over the details. With little knowledge of their choices, patients often agree to aggressive treatment even when there’s no hope of survival. A series of new videos […]

End-of-Life Care: The Conversation That Can’t Wait

Woman in hospital bed with man seated in chair

By Heidi Lading Kiec Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” This quote, found in many leadership books, is applicable to a host of situations, but it’s especially relevant to individuals and their loved ones facing end-of-life […]

Critical Questions: When is it time to consider palliative or hospice care?

By Karen Schwartz Dr. Gordon Wood, assistant medical director at Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter and director of palliative medicine and supportive care at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, suggests that if you answer yes to any of the following, hospice or palliative care may be beneficial to you. Review the following questions and talk with […]